PROFESSOR Patrick Wall, a former chairman of Horse Sport Ireland, has been contracted by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) to carry out a review of the Department’s oversight of the controversial abattoir at the centre of the recent RTÉ Investigates programme, and also to review apparent gaps in the identification and traceability systems used in the equine sector.

Aired on June 12th, the RTÉ report showed hidden camera footage of horses allegedly being treated with extreme cruelty prior to being slaughtered. The footage also suggested that horses had their identities changed using imported microchips and even paint, so that they matched existing passports and could be processed for the food chain.