Deer hunter who had carcasses in cold-room at home fined £6k
A DEER hunter in Co Tyrone has been fined £6,000 after police raided his premises and discovered 12 carcasses in a cold-room.
Trevor Gannon (45) from Ashleigh Court, Castlederg, admitted failing to comply with food safety and traceability regulations.
Strabane Magistrates Court heard police conducted a search on January 16, 2020, and in the course of an investigation around firearms, poaching and money laundering.
In the course of this, officers discovered a walk-in cold-room containing the carcasses.
They contacted Derry City and Strabane Council’s environmental health team which confirmed no food processing business was registered at the address.
They attended and decided the operation went beyond personal use, and the carcasses were seized.
Gannon was written to and asked where the deer were shot and by whom, and about other matters around storage cleanliness and temperature records. He failed to respond.
A second letter was sent advising of a hearing date and inviting Gannon to attend, but he again failed to respond.
Meanwhile records from a company called Edgewater Game Foods were examined. They contained 27 pages detailing deer carcasses, indicating weight and species, from September 2018 to December 2019.
A total of 363 carcasses were logged.
A prosecuting lawyer explained: “On each and every page, the defendant is listed as the hunter/supplier.”
On June 12, 2020 Gannon was interviewed by police on these and other matters, during which he denied shooting all the deer.
Asked directly who shot them, he replied: “I can’t explain.”
He admitted the deer had: “passed through” his commercial-style fridge.
The prosecutor stated: “Evidence showed the business was being conducted on a large scale over 14 months and considering the premium, indicated a significant amount of money was involved”.
He described the operation as: “Clearly clandestine and deliberately hidden from authorities. There was not a hint of legitimacy to the business — no advertising, business address, no revenue declared for tax purposes and no records at Companies House.”
It was pointed out Gannon “did not allow himself to be pinned down, refusing to disclose when or where the deer were shot. It was his intention to keep such information secret in an attempt to hide much wider criminality”.
The defence contended his client is an accomplished hunter facing court on food regulation breaches, although conceded other matters are with the PPS as a result of the police raid.
He said: “It seems he has been culling deer and selling it on without carrying out the necessary paperwork, the requirements of which are quite onerous.”
District Judge Mark Mcgarrity remarked: “With good reason, otherwise people like the defendant might just decide to commence their own enterprises.
“This wasn’t just someone hunting on a recreational basis, who on occasion may provide the fruits of that to someone who may want it.
“It was clearly a business with the means to store large quantities of deer and making substantial sums of money.”
The defence said: “That aspect is disputed. He says various other individuals were doing the same as him on a small scale. His place was being used by the supplier.”
However, it was accepted the 12 carcasses seized during the search belonged to Gannon.
Judge Mcgarrity imposed fines totalling £6,000 along with costs of £146.
‘It was a business with the means to store large quantities of deer and making substantial money’