TWELVE horses grazing on lands owned by the former operator of Shannonside Foods, the abattoir at the centre of an alleged cruelty and alleged microchip fraud investigation, have been seized.

The horses were seized from a field beside the abattoir in Straffan, Co Kildare, on October 25th by Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM) officials, as well as Gardaí.

The abattoir was shut down by DAFM in June and owner John Joe Fitzpatrick had his slaughter licence revoked after an RTÉ Investigates documentary exposed harrowing abuse of horses at the facility.

The department confirmed the seizure of horses from the land, stating the presence of the animals was in breach of a legal notice it previously issued under animal health and welfare legislation.

“The Department can confirm that its approval of the Shannonside Foods equine abattoir has been revoked since June 14th, 2024,” it said in a statement to The Irish Field.

“The Department can confirm that it recently arranged for the seizure of 12 horses from a field nearby the Shannonside Foods abattoir. The horses are in a secure location, details of which are confidential. As these matters relate to an ongoing investigation, the Department will not be providing any further comment.”

In response to a question regarding the ongoing closure of Ireland’s only equine slaughter facility, the Department also stated it has “not yet received any application in respect of approval of an equine slaughter facility, however, has ongoing discussions with parties who are continuing to explore options.”

Mr Fitzpatrick, who denies all allegations, told the Sunday Independent that the horses, which were two- and three-year-olds, were microchipped and had no welfare issues and he was entitled to graze them in the field.

He also told the paper he has reported RTÉ to gardaí for “illegal trespass” on his property regarding the damning footage aired by the broadcaster.

RTÉ said it has been aware of Mr Fitzpatrick’s complaint for a number of months and stands over it’s investigation and the resulting programme RTÉ Investigates: Horses — Making A Killing, which “demonstrated a clear public interest”. RTÉ has provided almost 1,000 hours of footage to the authorities and has been assisting Gardaí and the department with their investigations into the practices highlighted.