A 52-YEAR-OLD farmer has been found guilty of multiple counts of animal cruelty and been ordered never to keep animals again.
John Burke of Duncummin House, Emly, Co Tipperary, was convicted of 24 separate charges which related to the mistreatment of animals on lands he leased in Baggotstown, Co Tipperary, on separate days in July and November 2005.
The charges concerned some 1,200 sheep and 200 cattle and include allegations of allowing carcasses to go unburied, cruelty to animals including starvation, and failing to inspect other animals in his stock.
Yesterday at Bruff District Court, Joe Carroll, a veterinarian inspector with the Department of Agriculture, told the court that some of the animals on the defendant’s farm had suffered a “horrific death”.
During one visit to the farm on July 15th, 2005, Mr Carroll said he found four dead sheep caught in briars in a dyke.
He said the animals had died from heat and exhaustion and described their deaths as horrific and in “the upper limit” of animal cruelty. “I don’t think you could find worse than that,” he told the court.
The witness said Mr Burke had 900 sheep and 300 cattle confined to 90 acres of land and claimed some of the animals had no access to a 1km stretch of the Morning Star river that flows beside the farm.
Mr Carroll also claimed in his evidence that there was very little grass on the defendant’s farm and said that thistles and nestles had been “eaten up as far as the sheep could reach”.
He said the animals were on a “semi-starvation” diet and a large number of them were lame.
On a visit to the farm on July 11th, Mr Carroll said he found three dead sheep infested with maggots and smelling, and he was certain they had been there for “three to four days minimum”.
Defence solicitor John Devane told the court that his client had been involved in farming since he was five years old and denied that his animals had no access to water.
Judge Mary O’Halloran convicted Burke on all 24 charges and said she was aware that this was a major case of cruelty and neglect to both cattle and sheep. She said she was not aware of the accused man’s psychiatric background, however, and adjourned sentencing until September 4th to allow time for the preparation of a psychiatric report with the probation services along with a full social inquiry report.