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A bench warrant has been issued for a Co Kerry farmer who failed to turn up for sentencing at Killarney District Court on Tuesday of this week.
The defendants, John C Casey, otherwise known as Christy Casey (60), and John Casey Jr (37), both of Crosstown, Killarney, had pleaded guilty to a number of cattle record keeping offences at a previous sitting of Killarney District Court in April.
They were warned that a custodial sentence was being considered.
The matter was adjourned to this week for sentencing and for a medical report in the case of Casey Jr. Neither man has any previous convictions.
As the accused were not present in court, Judge David Waters issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Christy Casey and adjourned the matter of John Casey Jr to 2 July.
They are also accused of multiple counts of failure to provide information regarding the location, sale, supply or disposal of cattle
As previously reported in the Irish Farmers Journal, the Department of Agriculture had been prosecuting both men for a series of offences against record-keeping rules which have left dozens of animals missing.
According to the Department, the farmers failed to make cattle, herd registers and passports available for inspection on multiple occasions.
They are also accused of multiple counts of failure to provide information regarding the location, sale, supply or disposal of cattle.
Other alleged offences
Additional alleged offences include failure to register calves within seven days of tagging, failure to maintain a herd register, using a false date of birth and taking possession of a bovine which was not accompanied by a passport.
The offences were all committed at various addresses in Co Kerry and Co Cork between 30 April 2014 and 19 February 2015.
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