Records released by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) indicate that Department officials were present at a calf assembly centre in Co Kerry on the same date that secret filming took place which exposed animal mistreatment.
The RTÉ Investigates report exposed scenes in which staff at a calf assembly centre struck young calves in the face and head repeatedly, prodded calves with hay forks, dragged them by the ears and tails and force-fed milk to calves prior to export.
READ: Left to rot: Secret cameras reveal calves beaten before export
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The Minister for Agriculture has released all the dates for the past two years during which DAFM staff were at the facility.
Some of those dates in March 2024 coincide with dates when animal cruelty scenes were recorded by cameras secretly placed inside the Hallissey Livestock Exports facility in Fossa, near Killarney.
Minister Charlie McConalogue released the information in response to a parliamentary question from Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns.
In response to a query from RTÉ Investigates, the Department of Agriculture confirmed that its staff attended the Hallissey approved assembly centre 75 times this year, to inspect and certify animals for exports.
The department said its staff deployed to the centres are, "excellent and experienced officers who provided a conscientious and professional service".
The department also pointed out that "the incidents depicted as happening on the footage at some time in March 2024 within this multi-unit site were not viewed by them, nor were they brought to their attention at the time".
Minister McConalogue has also confirmed that investigators from his Department have been conducting interviews with what he calls, "suspects and witnesses", to animal cruelty incidents revealed by another RTÉ Investigation last year.
In response to a parliamentary question from Ms Cairns, the minister said that "on the ground investigations" were ongoing following the broadcast of 'Milking It: Dairy's Dirty Secret’ in July 2023.
The minister said those investigations included interviews with people identified mistreating animals and he said the investigation also "involved seeking, collation, and validation of all other relevant information and records of potential evidential value".
RTÉ understands that a number of marts were visited during the investigation, some were unannounced and involved investigators viewing animal handling by staff.
The Minister for Agriculture said that his department’s "focus remains on ensuring that appropriate enforcement action will be taken once all relevant evidential matters are fully collated and validated".
He said that a two-year statute-bound timeframe still applies for bringing summary prosecution proceedings under some animal welfare legislation.
The duration of the investigation means that a 12-month statute of limitations under the Animal Welfare Act for prosecutions at District Court level has passed, but there is still an option to proceed with Circuit Court prosecutions.
In one response to several parliamentary questions submitted by the Social Democrat leader, the Minister for Agriculture said that he would, "strongly condemn any cruelty or mistreatment of animals" as revealed on Prime Time last week. But, he added that he has been advised "that it is very important that I avoid saying anything that might be prejudicial to the conduct of any investigation".
A leading expert in animal welfare Dr Simon Doherty of Queen's University Belfast has described the scenes exposed as cruel.
"I think where there’s kicking and screaming and slapping and prodding with pitchforks, that is at the cruelty level," he told RTÉ Investigates.
The President of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association Denis Drennan said the scenes revealed at the Co Kerry calf assembly centre were "completely unacceptable".
Hallissey Livestock Exports responded to the report through a solicitor and said that their client’s business "provides a valuable service to the farming community and at all times takes reasonable care to ensure it does so in a manner which protects the welfare of the animals in its charge".
