A Tipperary farmer who won a historic court battle against a chemical company has hit out at Government officials for taking away his cattle.
John Hanrahan, from Ballydine, Carrick-on-Suir, accused vets and inspectors from the Department of Agriculture of acting illegally by taking away the cattle without a court order.
Mr Hanrahan today appealed to Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan to give him a temporary payment to feed his cattle.
"I've sent her up all the documentation and she has taken no action," he said. "One proposal was that the animals be fed for a week to allow time for a meeting to take place between both parties."
The Department of Agriculture said it had served Mr Hanrahan with a protection notice last month due to a potentially serious animal welfare situation on his farm.
In a statement, it said he had failed to comply with the requirement to provide sufficient fodder for his animals and had not accepted proposals from Department officials.
"As provided for under the regulations, the Department intends to seize the animals on Mr Hanrahan's farm with a view in the first instance of addressing the immediate welfare condition of the animals and subsequently giving consideration to selling some or all of the animals as appropriate."
The Department said that its primary concern was the welfare of the animals on the farm.
Mr Hanrahan incurred huge debts during a case against the Merck Sharp & Dohme factory and cannot afford to feed his 500-strong herd of cattle. In the early 1980s toxic emissions from the Merck Sharp & Dohme incinerator caused the deaths of 200 cattle on his 257-acre farm.
He sued the company and lost in 1986 but won in the Supreme Court in 1988. The farmer also claims he is owed €1.4 million by the Department of Agriculture in lost milk quota allowances, as he says his milk quota was restricted to 1980s levels for more than two decades and that he lost out on earnings to that value.
He is suing Kerry Group for €1 million on the grounds that Madden's Milk, a company it took over, paid him a lower price for his cow's milk due to fears it could be contaminated. Both the Department and Kerry Group are contesting the claims.