Limerick equine slaughterer fined for having horse passports but no horses

THE DEPARTMENT of Agriculture has welcomed the outcome of a court case in Limerick last Friday which saw a company that operated Ireland’s only equine slaughter plant, its owner and his son convicted and fined on a number of charges.

Shannonside Foods Ltd, Straffan, Co Kildare was fined €2,000 for two related charges after a  plea of guilty was entered to possessing a forged passport for a horse that was presented for slaughter on June 2, 2021.

 The company was owned by John Joe Fitzpatrick, and was where his son Arann Fitzpatrick was working. 

John Joe Fitzpatrick, aged in his 70s, of Montpelier, Co Limerick was fined a total of €3,000 after pleading guilty to five counts of possessing horse passports without having corresponding horses to match the documentation on July 15, 2022. The court heard Mr Fitzpatrick Snr has a previous conviction for animal cruelty.

His son - Arann Fitzpatrick, aged 24, of Montpeilier, Co Limerick, was fined €1,000. He pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a horse passport without having a corresponding  horse on July 15, 2022.

The Department of Agriculture, which brought the prosecution before Judge Michael Ramsey, was represented by Thomas Wallace-O'Donnell BL.

Evidence was given by Kieran Sheehan, assistant principal officer of the department's investigation division. 

A statement by the Department of Agriculture, after the case concluded, said that it took matters related to the integrity of the food chain very seriously.

They also said separate investigations regarding activities identified in undercover filming at Shannonside Foods by RTÉ Investigates last year are continuing but that they are now being led by An Garda Síochána.

“The Department of Agriculture continues to work collaboratively with An Garda Síochána in undertaking an extensive investigation into the serious matters that were highlighted in the RTÉ Investigates programme to ensure there is accountability for those responsible.

“In light of the nature of evidence discovered to date it has recently been agreed that An Garda Síochána will take the lead role in this investigation with ongoing support and assistance being provided by the Department.

“The investigation primarily relates to animal welfare and traceability practices associated with the Shannonside Foods plant prior to the department revoking its approval in June 2024,” said the statement.

During the court case, Judge Ramsey was told that a horse passport presented for a horse in June 2021 contained false  information to obscure the fact the animal was not fit for human consumption. The issue was detected by a Department of Agriculture veterinary officer, and the horse did not enter the food chain, the court heard.

Mr Sheehan said all horses going to slaughter for human consumption are issued with a unique passport identifying their health information to prevent unsafe meat entering the food chain.

He said any horse found to have been treated with a drug commonly referred to as ‘bute’, “cannot be allowed into the food chain” due to risks to public health.

Mr Sheehan said there is a monetary “incentive” to tamper with a horse passport. He said a horse that is not fit for the food chain is essentially worth nothing, or worse than nothing as you have to pay for its disposal in a knackery. However, if the horse is deemed fit for human consumption then it is worth money.

Mr Sheehan said on July 15, 2022, he and other department officials, supported by An Garda Siochana, searched the Fitzpatrick home in Montpelier, which he said was also the registered address for the headquarters of Shannonside Foods.

During the search, 30 horse passports were found for horses that were not presented.

When asked by the judge what became of the 30 horses, Mr Sheehan replied: “We don’t know, frankly. We haven't been able to establish where they went.”

Tom Kiely, solicitor for John Joe Fitzpatrick said his client has health difficulties after having a number of surgeries and is a man in his 70s.

The solicitor said Arann Fitzpatrick was now running a landscaping business.

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Mr Kiely said no unsafe meat was ever found to have passed through Shannonside Foods and there were no complaints. He highlighted the vigilance of the department’s vets and staff.

“The system worked,” said Mr Kiely. The father and son no longer work at Shannonside Foods, which the court heard had ceased operating.

The charges against the company,  father and son occurred before separate events in 2024 which saw slaughtering practices at Shannonside highlighted in the RTÉ Investigates' ‘Horses:-Making a Killing’ TV programme.