A DISTRICT court judge told a Bandon man who was convicted of animal neglect, that he will never be a farmer again and that he was lucky he wasn’t going to prison.
Judge Brendan O’Reilly made the comment while dealing with the case of Ronald Gill at Skibbereen District Court this week, who was charged with two counts of animal neglect at his farm in Meelin, Bandon in 2023.
The case had been adjourned for the production of a probation report on Mr Gill.
At a previous court sitting, Mr Gill pleaded guilty to two summons in a prosecution taken against him by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
The Department of Agriculture said he did neglect or was reckless regarding the health and welfare of an animal, contrary to the Animal Health & Welfare Act on January 24th 2023.
He was also charged with failing to supply and provide the animals with sufficient quantity of wholesome and uncontaminated water in accordance with the same act on the same date.
Defence solicitor Plunkett Taaffe said his client has ceased to be a farmer, which was a difficult decision for him to make.
‘He can’t do any more and it’s the only thing he knows and farming has been in the family for generations. He was struggling at the time and eventually the penny dropped and he realised he had to get out of farming,’ said Mr Taaffe.
‘He has paid a dear price and his life is over in relation to farming.’
Mr Taaffe added that both Mr Gill’s children are working but it is hoped that one of them may return to take over the farm in the future.
Judge O’Reilly noted from the probation report that Mr Gill is at low risk of re-offending but said he didn’t remove dead carcasses on his farm in a timely manner, and that when Department of Agriculture inspectors served notice on him he appealed it to the District Court.
He also noted that Mr Gill has six previous convictions for this type of offence.
‘I am guided by the probation report which confirms that he is at low risk of reoffending. He’s not in a position to reoffend as he has his land leased. But for that, this case would be going in one direction,’ said Judge O’Reilly.
‘I think the lesson is that the land is effectively gone from his use for the rest of his days and he won’t be a farmer again.’ Judge O’Reilly sentenced him to four months on each of the summons, but suspended it for 14 months in his own bond of €1,000.
He also convicted and fined him a total of €7,000 on the same summons – €3,500 for each summons – and gave him 12 months to pay the fines.
He added that this is in addition to a 10 year disqualification imposed on him from owning cattle, sheep, horses or pigs.
‘Were it not for the lease of the land, a good probation report and legal representation he would be going off in the prison van today,’ said Judge O’Reilly.
Recognisances in the event of an appeal were fixed in his own bond of €300 cash on each summons.
