Ireland’s international reputation as a food producer is damaged by incidents such as the one on a farm in Co Limerick, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said.
Speaking after it was revealed that several hundred dead calves had been discovered on the dairy farm in south Co Limerick, Mr Martin promised a full investigation. It is understood that the calves died due to a variety of issues, including disease and malnutrition.
“This goes to the heart of Ireland’s sustainability as a food-producing country and to our reputation in terms of animal welfare. It’s extremely important that we get to the bottom of this particular issue,” said Mr Martin in Co Offaly on Tuesday.
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“It’s unacceptable and horrific and it ultimately damages that reputation that we have carefully built up as a country. The Government will take this very seriously and make sure no stone is left unturned in terms of pursuing the origins of this and who is responsible because it goes to the very heart of our efforts as a country, a green country with sustainable production methods that this needs to stop.”
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Senator Pippa Hackett described the find as appalling.
“It was notified to my department through its animal welfare hotline,” she said.
“My department officials are looking into it so I can’t comment on the specifics of it. I think it’s not something we need to be having. We’ve had incidents in the past, it really is unacceptable. For a nation that trades in an agrifood sector where animal welfare is high up there, it’s something I think the sector as a whole needs to reflect on and it’s something we don’t really want to see happening again.”
