Bandon Mart Fined Over €4,000 for Animal welfare Breaches
Bandon Mart, trading as Cork Co-operative marts, has been fined a total of €4,250 after pleading guilty to offences relating to the welfare of calves at its facilities. The case, heard in Bandon district Court, stemmed from incidents occurring on February 13th and April 17th, 2023, and violations of European legislation designed to prevent unnecessary pain and suffering during animal transport and handling. These regulations were transposed into Irish law in 2006.
The charges relate to breaches of Article 3 and Article 9 of the relevant legislation.Article 3 stipulates animals should not be transported in a manner causing injury or undue suffering, while Article 9 requires assembly centres like Bandon Mart to adhere to technical rules, specifically prohibiting the dragging of animals and the use of sticks during loading and unloading.
The inquiry was prompted by footage from an RTÉ Investigates program, “Milking It: Dairy’s Dirty Secret,” broadcast on July 10th, 2023.Still photographs from the programme were presented as evidence to the court.
Specifically, on February 13th, 2023, footage showed a customer dragging a calf by its tail across a road and lifting it, while attempting to load it into a calf box.The customer, who remains unidentified, had not properly positioned their trailer. On the same day, a mart employee was observed striking a young calf. The court heard that overcrowding at the mart contributed to these issues.
A further incident on April 17th, 2023, involved an employee of a transport company using an ash stick on a calf. The judge noted that, under its licensing conditions, it was the mart’s responsibility to ensure animals were not struck with sticks.
Representing the department of Agriculture, Paula McCarthy BL, sought costs of €3,500 plus VAT. Donnchadh McCarthy BL, representing Bandon Mart, informed the court that the company had fully cooperated with the Department, implementing additional staff training, disciplinary measures, and issuing letters to customers following the incidents.
Bandon mart, which has been trading since 1956 and has no prior convictions, was fined €2,000 for failing to prevent the dragging of an animal, €750 for inadequate loading and unloading facilities, and €1,500 for the incident involving the striking of an animal. Judge Joanne Carroll acknowledged the company’s early guilty plea and the remedial actions taken. The company has four months to pay the fines and costs.
