Farmer threw dead horses and cattle off a 300ft cliff
A FARMER threw 12 decomposing horse and cattle carcasses off a 300ft cliff, a court has heard.
Martin Gerald Foley, 65, was traced after DNA tests were carried out on the remains.
The farmer, who had previously indicated he would contest the case, yesterday admitted disposing of waste in a manner likely to cause environmental pollution.
His guilty plea followed a Garda investigation into the discovery of the remains of eight horses and four cattle at the base of the cliffs at Baltard in Doonbeg, west Co. Clare, in April 2014.
Co. Clare ISPCA warden Frankie Coote examined the decomposing carcasses at the base of the cliffs after they were found by a walker, who alerted gardaí.
The Garda investigation included DNA tests on the dead animals to determine their owner. An oceanographer was brought in to determine if the carcasses were washed ashore. The remains had to be cremated at the scene as it was not possible to remove them.
The discovery of the carcasses at the bottom of the isolated cliffs also led investigations by the Department of Agriculture and Clare County Council.
At the court in 2016, Pat Whyms, defending, made a successful application for legal aid for his client. He said: ‘Mr Foley doesn’t have any regular income as such.
‘He does have a small holding on which he keeps a few horses for himself and there are also some cattle that he is minding for a man who owns the cattle.
‘His only income in the last year came from the sale of a few horses and if you have average that over the week, it comes at €200 a week.
‘He is not on social welfare and doesn’t have a job. This waste legislation that is in the case is very technical... there is no way that a lay person could conduct a defence on his own and he doesn’t have any money.’
In response to his application, Judge Gerald Keys extended the legal aid certificate to cover the costs of an engineer’s report that had been carried out.
Mr Whyms had also previously said his client would be contesting the environmental pollution charge and that the trial would take more than a week.
In court yesterday, Mr Whyms said there would have been a lot of technical evidence in the trial.
A jury was ready to be empanelled in the case yesterday, but Foley, of Lislanihan, Kilkee, Co. Clare, said: ‘Guilty, Judge’ when arraigned on the single charge under the Waste Management Act. Judge Keys remanded Foley on bail to April 23 for sentencing.
AFTER pleading guilty in court yesterday, Michael Gerald Foley is to be sentenced for dumping 12 rotting animal carcasses off a cliff in Co. Clare.
That the 65-year-old farmer was brought to justice at all was down to some intrepid detective work on the part of the gardaí, the ISPCA, Department of Agriculture inspectors and Clare County Council.
Everyone involved in investigating the case deserves credit. Standards needs to be upheld in the disposal of animal remains, particularly given the environmental implications.
Mr Foley’s actions were deplorable. But we should be grateful that he has now been held to account.