A farmer from Co. Antrim has been fined £1,750 and disqualified from keeping all farmed animals for 12 months after he was convicted at Lisburn Magistrates’ Court this week.
William James Wright, 62 of Crewe Road, Upper Ballinderry, Lisburn was found guilty on September 20.
He was convicted on two charges of causing unnecessary suffering to two bovine animals and three charges of failing to ensure the needs of three cattle were met to the extent required by good practice.
This case arose from a targeted welfare inspection of Mr Wright’s farm by Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) officers.
Cattle were found by the officers in very poor conditions and two cows had to be euthanized to prevent further suffering.
Earlier this month, a Co. Tyrone farmer was convicted and fined £1,000, plus a £15 offender levy, for transporting a bovine animal in a way that caused or was likely to cause injury or unnecessary suffering.
Robert McFarland of Coolaghy Road, Newtownstewart, Omagh, was convicted at Strabane Magistrates’ Court on August 31.
According to the DAERA, McFarland presented a bovine animal for slaughter at an abattoir in Northern Ireland.
The official Veterinary Surgeon at the abattoir noticed that the animal had an injured right foreleg and in their opinion caused the cow unnecessary pain and suffering.
The Department gives high priority to the welfare of animals and operates a vigorous enforcement policy to ensure full compliance of regulatory requirements. Any breaches are investigated thoroughly and offenders prosecuted as necessary.
