Farmer fined in Downpatrick Court for failure to comply with TB notice
There has been a rise in the numbers of cattle affected by bovine Tuberculosis in the past year and it is putting the beef and dairy sectors under considerable pressure.
Mr Donal McGreevy (25) Moor Road, Ballyward, Castlewellan, was convicted at Downpatrick Court on four charges of failure to comply with a tuberculosis notice, requiring him to detain all animals on his holding.
Mr McGreevy was not present in court, but his solicitor stated his client wanted to enter a guilty plea.
The case was dealt with in Mr McGreevy’s absence, and he was fined £600 plus a £15 offender levy.
The case arose following a DAERA investigation into breaches of a tuberculosis restriction, which prohibited the movement of cattle from Mr McGreevy’s holding. Mr McGreevy illegally moved 41 cattle between 21/08/2023 and 12/09/2023.
Mr McGreevy was convicted on four charges of being a person on whom a notice was served requiring him to detain all animals on his holding (save for move to slaughter animals not individually subject to restriction notice or under movement authorisation), failed to comply with the notice in contravention of Article 9(1) of the Tuberculosis Control Order (Northern Ireland) 1999, contrary to Article 52(1)(a) of the Diseases of Animals (Northern Ireland) Order 1981.
The Tuberculosis Control Order 1999 as amended Article 5(3) (2) states “If a person refuses to permit or otherwise delays or impedes the examination, sampling or testing of any animal, or refuses or neglects to comply with any requirement imposed upon him in connection with such examination, sampling or testing, under this Order or the Scheme, the Department may, by notice –
(a) require that person to detain any animal on the holding on which it is kept, or on such part of the holding as may be specified in the notice;
(b) prohibit the movement of any animal to or from the holding except under and in accordance with the conditions of a licence issued by the Department.“
In addition Article 4 says: ‘Where the Department knows or suspects that an animal, a herd or a carcase is diseased, it shall serve on the keeper thereof a notice informing him of the fact”, and article 5 (1) says “a person on whom a notice is served under Article 4 shall detain the animal, herd or carcase to which it relates on the holding on which it is kept, or such part of the holding as may be specified in the notice.”
Mr McGreevy breached the conditions of notices by moving animals from his herd whilst under restriction.
The majority of herd keepers fully comply with the requirements of the TB eradication scheme. Current disease levels continue to remain high at a considerable cost to the public purse and to individual herd keepers.
DAERA maintains that it is vital all stakeholders work together to reduce the disease prevalence, and that infected animals are identified, isolated and removed at the earliest opportunity to minimise risk to other stock in the infected herd and in neighbouring herds.
