Limerick farmer appears on RTÉ Investigates - Milking It: Dairy's Dirty Secret

A LIMERICK factory and farmer featured on RTÉ Investigates - Milking It: Dairy's Dirty Secret this week.

Presenter Fran McNulty investigated the underside of Ireland's dairy boom. It showed how at some mart sales Friesian bull calves couldn’t even be given away free of charge such is the oversupply of calves in the calving season

Over a number of weeks RTÉ Investigates filmed at several Irish marts and saw some handlers treat young calves capably and with respect. But others, including mart workers, farmers and transporters, showed a blatant disregard for animal welfare, they say.

“Undercover filming captured  what appeared to be  serious breaches of animal welfare. Monday's shocking documentary showed examples of slapping, striking and kicking of animals, all prohibited by law, as well as throwing them mid-air which is regarded as a serious breach of animal welfare. 

“Under EU regulations, sticks are not permitted for use on young calves and  a calf’s ears or tail, which is sensitive and can break, should not be twisted or pulled  yet undercover footage shows occurrences of these by mart staff, by farmers and by transporters in Ireland.

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“The programme also features a recent sharp increase in baby calves being delivered for slaughter to meat processing plants. 

Over a seven-day period, RTÉ Investigates observed dozens of trucks deliver calves for slaughter to a meat plant in County Limerick. Most were just a few weeks old.  Both farmers delivering there, and the factory itself confirmed to RTÉ Investigates there would be no payment for the animals,” said a spokesperson for the show.

Close to 30,000, mostly young bull calves, were slaughtered at meat factories in Ireland so far this year. The programme also investigated the journey taken by some of the 200,000 bull calves exported from Ireland every year to be fattened on veal farms in Europe.

Peter Hynes, originally from Crecora but now farms in Cork, gave his reaction in the programme to some of the footage, alongside wife Paula.

“There should be zero tolerance within our dairy industry for treating animals like this. I've always been proud to be a dairy farmer but I'm not proud to see this and Fran McNulty is right to call it out,” tweeted Mr Hynes.

The Department of Agriculture has confirmed it is to launch an investigation.