THE operator of the former equine abattoir at Straffan, Co Kildare, has been convicted and fined on charges related to the fraudulent identification of horses destined for human consumption.

Following an investigation by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Shannonside Foods Ltd, its director John Joe Fitzpatrick of Montpelier, O’Brien’s Bridge, Co Limerick, and his son, Mr Arrann Fitzpatrick, pleaded guilty to offences under the European Union (Identification of Equidae) Regulations 2016 at Limerick District Court before Judge Michael Ramsey on Friday.