Residents living near Ireland’s only equine abattoir in Straffan, Co Kildare, have accused the Department of Agriculture of minimizing their reports of severe animal neglect and cruelty. Despite multiple complaints, neighbours claim their concerns were dismissed or inadequately addressed.

One neighbour, with extensive experience with horses, reported severely emaciated horses in a field adjacent to the abattoir three times. Each time, the animals were in dire need of care. Amanda Kelly, another resident and a worker in the horseracing industry, frequently called the Department of Agriculture about neglected horses and suspicious night-time activities at the plant.

John Joe Fitzpatrick, the operator of the abattoir, has a history of animal welfare offenses and was recently exposed in an RTÉ Investigates documentary for extreme cruelty. Hidden cameras captured horses being beaten, punched, and left to die, leading to the plant’s closure pending a criminal investigation.

Michael Sheahan, the Department’s deputy chief veterinary officer, claimed the department had no knowledge of these issues until the RTÉ documentary aired. Sheahan stated that the department had received only five complaints since 2018, none of which involved horses being beaten. However, neighbours like Ms. Kelly tell a different story.

Kelly described seeing lame and emaciated horses regularly and repeatedly reporting these conditions to the department. Despite her efforts, she felt her concerns were never taken seriously.

Another neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, recounted similar experiences, reporting skeletal horses to both the Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) and the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA).

In one instance, she reported a severely lame horse that could barely stand. Despite her detailed complaints, she was never informed of any outcomes. She was appalled to hear Sheahan minimise these issues to mere reports of “thin” and “lame” horses, asserting that these terms did not accurately reflect the animals’ dire conditions.

Part 2 will drop tomorrow.

Until next time,

Shane