A FARMER WAS jailed this morning for almost two and a half years after he admitted “shocking” cruelty and neglect of young calves on his farm.

Seamus Looby (68), Raheen, Garryspillane, Co Limerick, pleaded guilty to 173 animal-cruelty-related offences, after large numbers of rotting and dead calves were discovered on his 100-acre farm.

Limerick Circuit Criminal Court Judge Fiona O’Sullivan described it as a “shocking level of neglect”.

The court heard that spinal cords, jawbones, hip bones and leg bones belonging to dead calves were discovered scattered across Looby’s lands.

Some of the carcasses were found burnt, but Looby denied burning the animal remains.

The judge said Looby was responsible for causing a “high level of distress and suffering and death” of the calves.

The judge also praised the “tremendous work” of the Department of Agriculture after they acted on a complaint.

The department investigated the movement of 420 calves through Looby’s farm by another man who was not before the court.

The majority of the calves were found dead or dying, and 256 calves were missing and presumed dead.

Eighty-four calves were found alive at the farm; however, 66 of them had to be euthanised by the department.

Almost 60 of the animal carcasses were identifiable through their herd number tags, and 18 calves, which were found alive, were later sold.

The judge said Looby was “socially isolated, vulnerable and he was not the controlling mind” of the situation.

Reducing a headline sentence of four and a half years, to three years and four months, and suspending the final 12 months, the judge said Looby had been “led and manipulated” by others.

Looby had a previous conviction, resulting in a fine for having caused the unnecessary suffering of more than 30 dogs, two of whom died, after the animals were delivered to his farm again by another man.

The dogs were found dehydrated, flea-ridden, tightly chained up, weak and lethargic, and Looby was fined €1,150 and ordered to pay €1,000 to the ISPCA.

Looby’s barrister Coleman Cody told the court Looby was a “pariah” in his local community after his convictions, but that his family, who were present in court, were supporting him.

Looby admitted 173 out of 318 charges of animal neglect at his farm between March and September 2022.

The prosecution of the case was led by barrister Lily Buckley, instructed by Brendan Gill, and assisted by paralegal Sarah Heavenor.

Buckley told the court Chris Normoyle, a veterinarian inspector at the Department of Agriculture, visited Looby’s farm on 16 August 2022, and found “a distinctive smell of decomposing animals and evidence of animal cruelty and neglect”.

Buckley said Normoyle described how “in his 21 years experience it was, in his opinion, one of the worst cases of animal neglect”.

Arthur O’Connor, of the department’s investigations unit, said he found large amounts of “dead” calves, as well as some in “severe distress”, and others were half-eaten by “scavengers”.

The 18 calves that were found alive were “severely dehydrated, grunting and panting”, and others were lying down exhausted with their eyes pecked out by birds.

Calves that had attempted to access a stream on Looby’s lands had “drowned” as they were “too weak” to get out of the water source, Buckley said.

Looby did not have money to milk-feed the calves who required feeding twice daily, it was heard.

Looby told department officials that another man had owned the calves and delivered them to his lands. Looby said he was not paid for the feed and therefore he couldn’t afford to look after the calves.

Looby’s barrister, senior counsel Colman Cody, suggested that Looby was “manipulated” into keeping the calves on his land by another man who was not before the court.

The court heard Looby was in poor mental and physical health; that he was no longer in charge of animals, and he was leasing his farmland to close relatives.

Judge O’Sullivan imposed three concurrent sentences of three years, four months with the final year suspended for a period of two years in respect of Looby admitting breaches of a duty to protect animal welfare; causing unnecessary suffering and danger to calves; and failing to comply with an animal welfare notice.

The judge imposed a further concurrent eight-month sentence on Looby for his admitted failure to properly dispose of calf carcasses.

After imposing sentence, Judge O’Sullivan told Looby: “I wish you well, it’s an unfortunate case.”

Looby replied: “Thanks very much, judge.”