A Co Clare farmer who bought 150 illegally imported calves from Northern Ireland has been sentenced to four months' imprisonment and fined €10,000 at Limerick District Court.
In a case described as the biggest of its kind in the State, Peter Stritch (36), from Ballisle, Clonlara, was before the court on 111 summonses dating from October 2000 to January 2001.
He pleaded guilty on 22 sample summonses and the remainder were taken into account by the court.
Det Garda Derek Spain, from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, said that the calves were imported from Northern Ireland after Stritch replied to an advertisement in the Farmers Journal.
The court heard the animals would have been worth around IR£15 each in the UK because of the BSE problem but were valued at over IR£100 in this country.
Det Garda Spain said Stritch denied having any calves from the North when he was first approached in April 2001, during the foot-and-mouth crisis.
However he made a full statement to gardaí during a second visit to the farm in May of the same year.
The court heard at the time the calves in question could not be identified as they were mixed with animals that were held legally.
As a result, the Department of Agriculture slaughtered 287 animals from the farm within four days.
The court heard the financial loss incurred by Stritch was in excess of €100,000.
Judge Tom O'Donnell was told by a veterinary inspector, Ms Mary Bourke, that the case was by far the biggest of its kind in this country.
The costs incurred by the State had been over €55,000.
Stritch also admitted failing to keep a register of animals on his farm as well several offences relating to ear-tags for the animals.
In imposing his sentence Judge O'Donnell said it was clear the whole enterprise was motivated by nothing but greed.
He imposed four concurrent jail sentences, each of four months, and fined Stritch €1,000 on each of ten summonses.
Leave to appeal was granted on Stritch's own bond of €750.