Owner of horror puppy farm was at centre of foot and mouth crisis
JAMES KAVANAGH, the puppy farmer served with a closure notice this week for keeping hundreds of dogs in ‘depraved’ conditions, is the same man who illegally imported sheep from Cumbria during the foot and mouth crisis over a decade ago.
Mr Kavanagh was served with the notice by a representative from Carlow County Council on Thursday after a joint Garda and Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals operation found what one source called ‘the worst conditions I have ever seen’.
Our exclusive picture shows a pup being rescued from the farm by a local garda.
Gardaí and ISPCA inspectors rescued more than 50 dogs and at least two horses.
It was the first closure notice to be served on a puppy farmer since the implementation of the Dog Breeding Establishment Act in 2012. Under the new legislation, local councils have the authority to shut such operations down if they deem it necessary after consultation with the gardaí and ISPCA.
The premises in Myshall, Co. Carlow, were first raided on Wednesday. Gardaí and ISPCA volunteers were so concerned by what they saw that they worked overnight to secure its immediate closure.
Mr Kavanagh, a father of five, was on the farm in the remote countryside on Thursday but was unavailable to speak with us.
His teenage son told us the family had no comment to make.
Informed sources described the conditions the animals were being kept as the worst they had seen.
One said: ‘There were two bitches in a sheep shed on the farm. They were heavily pregnant, very nearly ready to have their babies, yet there was no evidence of any water or food.
‘There was no place for the dogs to go to the toilet and the poor things were lying on about two feet of excrement.’
Another said: ‘ There were dead horses and dogs everywhere. One sheep had died during lambing and you could see the lamb.
‘In one shed, there was up to 50 dogs and they were forced to eat a horse carcass to stay alive.
‘These animals are thankfully safe now but the recovery process will be a long road for them. It was very upsetting for the gardaí to witness.’
ISPCA chief inspector Conor Dowling said: ‘Even seasoned ISPCA officers found the conditions encountered at this premises truly shocking and it was imperative that the dog breeding operation be shut down. We welcome this as the first closure notice to be served since the implementation of the 2012 Act.’
ISPCA CEO Dr Andrew Kelly added: ‘This is an appalling and horrific case. Many of these animals were living in squalid conditions and there were dead animals scattered around the site.
‘We will be calling on the Department of the Environment to revise the Act to allow random and unannounced inspections of all registered breeding establishments.’
‘There were dead horses and dogs everywhere’