Fourteen young cattle died of dehydration last week at a farm owned by Coolmore Stud after the animals’ drinking water supply was disconnected.
The incident occurred at a farm in Brodeen, Co Tipperary, near the world-famous Coolmore Stud in Fethard owned by businessman John Magnier.
According to a spokesman for Coolmore, the deaths resulted from “human error” after the animals’ drinking water was temporarily disconnected to allow the water trough to be cleaned.
The stud said the deaths took place “during an intense hot spell last month, the hottest July on record”.
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“The incident was immediately reported to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on July 28th,” it added.
There was a failure to reconnect the drinking water and to monitor the cattle in a “timely manner,” the company said in a statement.
“Everyone in Coolmore is deeply, deeply, upset by what occurred and immediate steps were taken to prevent anything like this ever happening again.”
It said it cannot comment further due to an “ongoing disciplinary process”.
The Department of Agriculture said it is aware of “an incident” but said it could not comment on individual cases.
Coolmore is home to several thousand cattle as well as its extensive bloodstock holdings.
It employs about 1,300 people across its extensive horse stud and farm business. Cattle are often mixed in to graze in the same fields as horses.
Coolmore’s website discusses land and feed management strategies it uses incorporating both. “Precision farming aims to improve crop performance and environmental quality,” the website says.
It has been reported that Magnier, his family and related Coolmore entities own more than 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) of farmland in Tipperary, with most of that used for horses or as tillage land.
Magnier was confirmed as an investor in the company that bought a 325-hectare (815 acre) Rockwell Farm in Co Tipperary last year.
Bovinae Investments, which was incorporated last year, registered its ownership of the various plots of land that made up the Rockwell Farm sold by the Spiritan order with a guide price of €21 million.
The purchase included 621 cows and Bovinae plans to grow the number to 1,000 by 2029.
