A Co Meath farmer was fined a total of £6,500 yesterday when he pleaded guilty to 11 summonses relating to the possession of illegal animal growth-promoters, including clenbuterol (angel dust), other illegal animal remedies and two dosing guns.
A further 12 summonses against Ephram Swan (63), of Oberstown, Tara, arising from the seizure of the products on his farm by Department of Agriculture officials on October 22nd, 1992, were struck out by Judge John Brophy at Dunshaughlin Court.
Mr Declan Holmes, of the Department of Agriculture, said Mr Swan owned about 100 acres and rented more. There were about 200 animals on the farm at the time, some for fattening, and a suckler herd. Mr Swan also ran a sheep enterprise.
The drugs haul included antibiotics which would be legal if properly labelled and supplied under licence, but which were found unlabelled. This would have posed a danger, as the quality was unknown.
Judge Brophy said Mr Swan was one of those unscrupulous farmers who were effectively poisoning people. He fined him the maximum £1,000 on two of the summonses, and £500 on each of the nine others.