€71,000 bill for farmer who killed 4,000 pigs

international | animal rights | other press Tuesday November 14, 2006 00:41 by Alliance For Animal Rights afarireland at yahoo dot com PO Box 4734 Dublin 1

A FARMER who single-handedly slaughtered almost 4,000 pigs after a
banned food additive was discovered on his farm was ordered yesterday to
fork out over €71,000 in fines and legal costs.

Irish Independent newspaper - Saturday November 4th 2006

€71,000 bill for farmer who killed 4,000 pigs

A FARMER who single-handedly slaughtered almost 4,000 pigs after a
banned food additive was discovered on his farm was ordered yesterday to
fork out over €71,000 in fines and legal costs.

Pig farmer Thomas Galvin denied 29 charges brought against him by the
Department of Agriculture, including the administration of a banned,
cancer-causing food additive in 2002.

Mr Galvin, from Ballinamuck, Dungarvan, Co Waterford, was found guilty
of a string of offences including the movement of pigs onto and off
restricted lands near Dungarvan following the discovery of a highly
toxic additive, Carbadox, in April 2002.

The court also heard how pigs taken from the restricted area eventually
made it onto supermarket shelves.

A quantity of Carbadox - banned by the department since 1999 - was
discovered during a raid on Mr Galvin's farm after one of his pigs had
tested positive in a meat factory for traces of the substance.

Members of the department's Special Investigation Unit (SIU) swooped on
Mr Galvin's farm in April 2002. They found a box containing the banned
substance, which was described in court as being "so toxic that even at
barely traceable levels very severe measures including the destruction
of entire stock needed to be considered".

During the 12-day trial, which ended at Clonmel District Court
yesterday, Mr Galvin told the court that the Carbadox had not been used
as an animal feed and that he only held onto it because he wasn't sure
how or where to dispose of it.

When later questioned on why samples of Carbadox were discovered on the
floor in sheds where the pigs were kept, he said he had used the
substance to treat scour.

Mr Galvin was also found guilty of obstructing and impeding an SIU
officer during the early stages of the investigation on his farm at
Ballyharrahan.

The department placed a restriction order on lands owned and used by Mr
Galvin for pig fattening, following the discovery of the banned
substance.

The court heard how, on a number of occasions, Mr Galvin broke this
restriction order.

Defence counsel Randal Hill told the court that from the time the
restriction order was imposed to the time of the destruction of Mr
Galvin's stock, more than two months had passed and that the animals
needed to be cared for. Mr Hill explained that during the restriction
period, Mr Galvin's income was seriously affected and he was had not
been in a position to feed over 1,500 animals. That is how they had
ended up being moved on to the land.

Mr Galvin killed the pigs with a bolt gun, the court heard.

Prosecution for the Department of Agriculture Mr Noel Whelan said that
by breaking the restriction order the animals Mr Galvin "let out, ended
up going directly into the food chain".

This is the first case brought by the Department's Special Investigation
Unity in relation to Carbadox. Carbadox has been shown to cause cancer
in laboratory animals.

Judge Hamill convicted Mr Galvin on 19 charges. He imposed fines
totalling €15,200 and a five-month suspended prison sentence. Mr Galvin
was also ordered to pay over €56,000 in costs.

Dara deFaoite

© Irish Independent
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