The company that operated the country's only equine slaughter plant has been convicted and fined on charges related to the fraudulent identification of horses destined for human consumption.
Shannonside Foods Ltd, which had operated a specialist equine abattoir at Straffan, Co Kildare, pleaded guilty at Limerick District Court to possessing a forged horse passport that was being presented for slaughter in June 2021. It was fined €2,000 to cover two related charges.
The court had heard that the passport presented for the animal on that day had false health information stuck into the relevant page of the passport to obscure the fact that it was not fit for human consumption. This was spotted by Department staff present on slaughter day.
At the same hearing, the owner of the company John Joe Fitzpatrick of Montpelier, O'Brien’s Bridge, Co Limerick, was fined €3,000 after pleading guilty to five counts of possessing horse passports without having horses to match them in July 2022. More than 30 other charges against him were struck out.
His son, Arann Fitzpatrick, 24, of the same address, pleaded guilty to a single charge of possessing a horse passport without having a horse to match in July 2022.
The charges pre-dated separate events in 2024 which saw slaughtering practices at the company feature in the RTÉ Investigates programme Horses: Making a Killing. This resulted in the seizure of meat and the withdrawal of the plant's licence.
Kieran Sheehan, Assistant Principal Officer of the Department's Investigation Division, said all horses had to have an equine passport under EU laws to prevent unsafe meat from entering the food chain.
He told the court the improper identification of these animals was a serious matter for human health but there were financial motives behind it.
"A horse that is not fit for the food chain is essentially worth nothing, or worse than nothing if you have to dispose of it in a regulated knackery it will cost you €170. But if it is deemed fit for human consumption it is worth money," he said.
Solicitor for the company and the Fitzpatricks said the company had slaughtered in the region of 20,000 horses for export before it lost its licence last year and customers in Europe had not complained to the Department.
He said Mr Fitzpatrick Senior was in poor health and not working, while his son had lost his livelihood with the closure of the plant and was attempting to build up a new business.
He said they and the company took responsibility for their actions, were cooperative throughout the investigation and pleaded guilty to save the Department from having to pursue a complicated complication and long trial.
Mr Sheehan, said the horse that was presented on a false passport was diverted away from the food chain.
But he said officials treated very seriously the fact that the operators of a food business would have passports for horses that could not be traced.
Defence solicitor Tom Keily said "something went very wrong" on the day the false passport was presented but that the systems worked to stop that animal reaching the food chain.
He said Mr Fitzpatrick Senior had been in the equine business for decades and had led a welfare organisation called Horse Care Ireland but took responsibility for his actions.
Separate investigations are continuing, says Department
In statement, the Department of Agriculture said it welcomed the outcome of the case and that it took matters related to the integrity of the food chain very seriously.
It also said separate investigations regarding activities identified in undercover filming at Shannonside Foods by RTÉ Investigates last year are continuing but that they are now being led by An Garda Síochána.
"The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine continues to work collaboratively with An Garda Síochána in undertaking an extensive investigation into the serious matters that were highlighted in the RTÉ Investigates programme to ensure there is accountability for those responsible," it said.
"In light of the nature of evidence discovered to date it has recently been agreed that An Garda Síochána will take the lead role in this investigation with ongoing support and assistance being provided by the Department.
"The investigation primarily relates to animal welfare and traceability practices associated with the Shannonside Foods plant prior to the Department revoking its approval in June 2024."
Judge Michael Ramsey imposed a fine of €1,000 each on two charges under the European Union (Identification of Equidae) Regulations 2016 brought against Shannonside Foods Ltd.
Mr Fitzpatrick Senior was fined €1,000 each for three charges, with two others taken into consideration and his son was fined €1,000 for the single charge he pleaded guilty to.
