A Co Waterford farmer has been given one last chance by Waterford District Court to sell the remainder of his herd of cattle or they will be destroyed.
Mr Michael Hickey (60), Gortaclode, Kilmeaden, Co Waterford, was charged with cruelty to animals between January 25th and February 7th, 2002. He was charged with leaving a carcass exposed, continually failing to keep a register under the bovine TB regulations, failing to keep his animals tested and failing to fix tags to the ears of five cattle.
Mr Hickey was in court in February and had been given two months to put his farm in order, following the discovery of the carcass and the poor health of his cattle due to a lack of food. In a follow-up hearing in April, Supt Veterinary Insp Cecil Alexander told the court he had visited the farm prior to the court date and had found the 52 cattle in good health. However, he asked the court to take ownership of the animals away from Mr Hickey and ban him from keeping animals for the remainder of his life.
Judge William Harnett had also warned Mr Hickey that if the cattle were not tested and sold, they would be destroyed and that he would face a custodial sentence.
Throughout the case Mr Pat Newell, solicitor for the defendant, has expressed concern for his client's health and the conditions he lives in. He said his client spent all his money on his cattle.
Following a series of delays, tests have been carried out on all the animals. At yesterday's hearing, Mr Newell said there were only 15 cattle remaining on the farm. There had been 11 but four had been returned due to queries over their records. Judge Harnett said he was giving Mr Hickey one last chance. "This is not good enough, I am adjourning the matter until 15th January, 2004, and marking it in very big letters."