Sheep were left in a diseased and malnourished state on rented land

A South Mayo farmer has received a suspended prison sentence after sheep were found malnourished and dead on his rented lands.

Michael Crishel, aged 61, of Lecarrow, Hollymount pleaded guilty at Castlebar District Court to 16 charges under the Animal Health and Welfare Act arising out of an inspection of leased lands at Headford, Co Galway, on November 17, 2022. These included not safeguarding the health and welfare of more than 300 sheep, not disposing of sheep carcasses and causing unnecessary suffering to a sheep. The defendant also pleaded guilty to not providing a sufficient quantity of food for the sheep on the same date.

Crishel also admitted four charges arising out of a follow-up inspection on March 10, 2023, including failing to safeguard the health and welfare of approximately 360 sheep, not disposing of a sheep carcass and not providing a sufficient quantity of food. He further pleaded guilty to two charges of not disposing of a sheep carcass on March 14, 2023, and causing unnecessary suffering to five sheep. The court heard that the rented land was 35km from his home in Hollymount and he also had another rental property at Kilmaine.

Helen Johnson, BL, prosecuting on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, told the court that 363 sheep were seized from Crishel's rented land at Annaghkeen, Headford, on March 14, 2023, at a cost of over €17,000 to the Department. While more than €12,000 was recouped from the sale of the animals, the Department was seeking costs of €4,261.

The court heard five of the seized sheep died during the intervening days, while seven were treated for lameness and one in five displayed signs of lethargy.

The Department of Agriculture had pushed for Crishel, who owns 52 acres of land in his home village of Hollymount, to receive a lifetime ban from having sheep on any land.

Department inspector Aoife Mulhern said she and a colleague David Cosgrove visited Crishel's rented land at Annaghkeen on November 17, 2022, following a complaint.

“We came across 27 carcasses in various stages of decomposition, some of them were just skeletal remains - ovine bones - and there were some partially decomposed carcasses and fresh carcasses,” she added.

Ms Muhern phoned Crishel and asked to see him but he replied that he was too busy, and would call up that evening to collect the carcasses.

“There was very bare ground, the grass had been eaten right down and there was no adequate nutrition for the sheep,” the inspector said. “There was no sign or evidence of supplementary feed, silage or nuts.” 

Ms Mulhern said two sheep had pneumonia and others were suffering from Orf, a highly contagious infection that causes mouth and feet sores.

“In this case, it was very advanced and it had spread all over the place and led to a bacterial infection,” she said. “That indicated it had been going on for some time, it had not been attended to.” 

Mr Cosgrove visited the Annaghkeen property in January and noted there had been some improvements in terms of animal welfare but one sheep carcass was still present.

However, Crishel subsequently purchased more sheep, and Ms Mulhern said the outlook was much worse for these animals in March 2023. At that stage, the Department decided to seize 363 of them.

“If they are bought in at a low value, they are very vulnerable to neglect because there is a perception there that if they are almost worthless then they are not worth treating, she added.

The court heard Crishel, a married father of one, had taken out a 10-year lease on the land in 2021 and has no previous convictions.

Solicitor Gary Mulchrone said his client has lands in Hollymount and Kilmaine, which he operated effectively for several decades before expanding his farming activities by leasing land in Headford.

“He is a sheep and cattle farmer all of his life and has had no previous issues,” Mr Mulchrone said. “This is out of character, and he let himself down badly.” 

Crishel, who took the stand, said a family member had become seriously ill a short time after he took out the lease in Headford and he admitted he was overwhelmed by having over 1,200 sheep in three areas. The defendant stated it was wrong for the department to seize his sheep and claimed if they were that badly treated more than five of them would have died.

Mr Mulcrone said his client has reduced his flock to 600 sheep and is managing his farm well again. The solicitor appealed to Judge Vincent Deane not to ban the defendant from sheep farming.

However, Judge Deane said the treatment of the animals was a “disgrace” and Crishel had shown little insight into his offending. The judge imposed a 12-month prison sentence, suspended on condition that he does not reoffend in the next two years. He also banned Crishel from sheep farming for five years and ordered him to pay the costs of €4,261 sought by the Department.  

The judge also ordered Crishel to dispose of his entire flock before May 1 next. 

Recognisances were fixed in the event of an appeal to the circuit court.