A haulier and a farmer have been prosecuted for transporting an animal that was not fit to make the journey.
On 3 March Coleraine Magistrates’ Court was told that Dunseverick, County Antrim-based haulier Philip McCurdy transported an animal belonging to farmer Mark McCurdy to an abattoir, where it was determined unfit for transport.
The official veterinarian said the animal would have been in severe pain from a leg fracture and transport had caused it to endure unnecessary suffering.
Philip McCurdy, of Whitepark Road, Dunseverick, was fined £500 and ordered to pay a £15 offender’s levy after pleading guilty to breaching the Welfare of Animals (Transport) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006.
Mark McCurdy, of Portbradden Road, Bushmills, County Antrim, also pleaded guilty and was fined £750 with a £15 offender’s levy.
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs said businesses who have animals in transit have a duty to look after their welfare.
