A 56-year-old farmer has been sent forward to the next sitting of Cork Circuit Criminal Court on 11 charges relating to the alleged ill-treatment of animals.

Donal Bohane of Gortnamucklagh, Skibbereen, was served with the book of evidence at Tuesday’s sitting of the district court.

Judge Joanne Carroll read out each of the 11 charges to the accused and gave him the mandatory alibi warning.

Donal Bohane, who was not legally represented in court, refuted the charges and asked why it had taken six years for the case to come before the court.

It is alleged that on September 9th 2020 Mr Bohane caused unnecessary suffering to, or endangered the health and welfare of his animals, by housing five bovines in a shed that had filthy floors and no access to water.

It is alleged that Donal Bohane failed to take all necessary steps to ensure that his cattle were kept and treated in a manner that safeguarded the health and welfare of the animals, and failed to ensure that all structures used to contain the animals were maintained in a manner that would not cause injury or unnecessary suffering to them.

It is alleged that he failed to provide a sufficient quantity of uncontaminated drinking water for his livestock.

The second set of charges relates to alleged ill-treatment on November 23rd and 27th, 2020, at Coolnagurrane, Skibbereen. One of the charges alleged that his animals were left unattended without adequate provision for their welfare.

He is also charged with causing unnecessary suffering or endangering the health of an animal by failing to euthanise a bovine that was suffering from septicaemia.

The accused was charged with failing to provide a quantity of suitable and wholesome food sufficient to satisfy the reasonable requirements of his animals.

He was charged with failing to take all necessary steps to ensure that the animals were kept and treated in a manner that safeguarded the health and welfare of the animals.

Another alleged offence in November of that year states that Donal Bohane caused unnecessary suffering by housing bovine animals in a building with six to nine inches of slurry on the floor, and no dry lie, while all of the animals were in poor bodily condition.

Meanwhile, on December 4th at Gortnamucklagh, the accused was charged with failing to take all necessary steps to ensure that the animals were kept and treated in a manner that safeguarded their health and welfare.

On the same date, the farmer was accused of causing suffering by housing 24 weanling cattle in a house with no dry lie or bedding.

On that date, there was a further allegation that the farmer left two bovines unattended without making adequate provision for their welfare by failing to provide suitable veterinary attention in circumstances where neither could stand and both were in poor body condition.

Funded by the Courts Reporting Service.