‘HELL-HOLE’ PASSED THREE COUNCIL INSPECTIONS

PRESSURE is mounting on Carlow County Council over its inspection regime after it granted a licence to puppy farmer James Kavanagh six months before the raid which uncovered appalling levels of neglect.

The puppy farm in Co. Carlow, was inspected on behalf of the local authority six months before dead and dying animals were found at the farm in April 2015.

The premises were inspected on three dates: April 3, 2013; July 23, 2013, and October 1, 2014. A notice of closure was issued on April 14, 2015.

On Friday, James Kavanagh was jailed for three years. In October 2018, he and his wife Jennifer pleaded guilty to 30 charges of animal cruelty. Carlow Circuit Court heard that the Kavanaghs’ puppy farm, at Raheenleigh, Myshall, was ‘a hell-hole’.

The local authority has refused three requests to supply the Irish Mail on Sunday with copies of the 2013 and 2014 reports.

A council spokesman told the MoS: ‘The council is not prepared to release the inspection records at this time.’

Three people carried out the inspection. The inspectors were not employees of te council, the local authority official said. The spokesperson added: ‘The persons who carried out the inspections found the premises to be in a satisfactory condition at the time of inspection and proper notice was given to the operator of the date and time of the inspection.’

The MoS has learned that a number of TDs, who were horrified at the footage taken at the time of the 2015 raid, plan to raise the inspections in the Dáil and demand the release of the reports.