A farmer in Northern Ireland has been convicted and fined in court for moving cattle into a herd that was restricted due to bovine tuberculosis (TB).
Stewart McGladdery with an address at Grovehill Road, Ballinaskeagh, Banbridge, Co. Down was convicted of two charges of moving the animals at a sitting of Newry Court yesterday (Monday, October 16).
The 33-year-old pleaded guilty and was fined £500, plus a £15 offender levy.
The case arose following the discovery by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) that McGladdery had moved 42 cattle into his herd in breach of TB restrictions which prohibited the purchase of animals into his herd due to a severe TB breakdown.
Under Article 6 (2) of the Tuberculosis Control Order 1999 a veterinary inspector has the power to serve a notice on the keeper of an affected animal or herd prohibiting the movement of animals into the herd or onto the holding.
McGladdery breached the conditions of this notice by moving animals into his herd while under restriction.
A DAERA spokesperson said:
“Whilst the majority of herd keepers fully comply with the requirements of the bovine TB eradication scheme, it is vital all 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.
“Current disease levels continue to remain high, at a considerable cost to the public purse and to individual herd keepers, so it is vital that all stakeholders work together to reduce the disease prevalence.”
TB
Elsewhere, a farmer from Dungannon, Co. Tyrone was recently convicted for failing to present all animals for tuberculosis (TB) testing.
Ian Stanley Boyd (56) of Pomeroy Road, Dungannon, pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him at Dungannon Court yesterday (Monday, October 9).
He was fined £1,500 plus a £15 offender levy.
The case arose following Boyd’s refusal to present his animals for TB testing when requested.
This is in contravention of Article 3(2)(b) of the Tuberculosis (Examination and Testing) Scheme Order (Northern Ireland) 1999, contrary to Article 52(1) of the Diseases of Animals (Northern Ireland) Order 1981.
Animal testing of all herds in Northern Ireland for TB is mandatory.
DAERA has said that the control of bovine TB is dependent on identifying reactor animals at these tests.
Failure to present animals for tests, it said, undermines efforts by both farmers and the department to reduce the incidence of the disease.