A Co Mayo farmer who tampered with cattle tags to defraud the Department of Agriculture of large sums of money was jailed for two years by a Circuit Court judge yesterday.
Sentencing John Kearns (40), from Owenwee, Westport, Judge Kevin Haugh said people like him had no business in modern farming.
This type of offence was terribly serious, the judge said, endangering the health of the nation; the confidence of the consumer; the buoyancy of the export market; the integrity of the export system and the capacity to deal with outbreaks of disease.
Kearns admitted 20 charges when he appeared at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court, sitting in Westport. Nineteen related to possession of ear tags and one of possessing three visegrips adapted for removing cattle tags.
The offences were committed on April 26th/27th, 2001, and related to lands at Midgefield, Westport, and Castletown, Navan, Co Meath.
Mr John Jordan, prosecuting, outlined that Kearns, in collecting special beef premia, would take tags off animals and re-tag those animals with other tags.
It was believed some animals were coming in from outside the jurisdiction and they were tagged as if born in his herd.
DNA evidence showed calves registered as being born in his herd could not have been.
Dept of Agriculture Veterinary Inspector Louis Riordan explained that the detection of the defendant was made as part of the national operation, codenamed "Oxblood". Since 1996, the accused man and his father, Patrick, who was not involved in the management of his own farm, obtained €180,000 in premia. Of this almost €35,000 related to special beef premia.
Mr Riordan said the accused man ran both farms and both herds were inextricably linked.
Investigations showed a number of discrepancies.
In October 2001 a notice was served for the seizure of 134 cattle. Fifty-one tags were found to have been tampered with and 134 of the cattle had incorrect identities.