Former horse slaughterhouse cameraman John Joe Fitzpatrick files complaint over RTÉ video ‘infringement’

It comes as the Guard and agricultural inspectors first seized horses from former operator John Joe Fitzpatrick, whose abattoir is at the center of an investigation into cruelty and suspected microchip fraud.

12 horses were seized on October 25 from a field near a slaughterhouse in Straffan, Co Kildare.

The abattoir, owned by his company Shannonside Foods, was closed by the Department of Agriculture in June and his slaughter license was revoked after RTÉ is investigating documentary.

Fearing for the welfare of the horses, neighbors contacted An Garda Síochána, who are already investigating activities at the abattoir alongside the department.

Officials, assisted by the Guard, removed the animals last Friday on health and welfare grounds, although the horses were believed to be in good condition and had been provided with food and water.

Mr. Fitzpatrick said Sunday Independent last week that the horses, which were two and three years old, were chipped and had no welfare issues and he was allowed to graze them in the field.

He also claimed he reported RTÉ to the gardaí about “illegal trespassing” on his grounds to obtain the damning footage that led to the closure of the slaughterhouse.

The documentary showed scenes of horses being beaten with whips, fists and pipes

Mr Fitzpatrick, who denies the allegations, accused the broadcaster of gaining “illegal” access to his slaughterhouse to install CCTV cameras which captured the horrific footage. He said he had lodged a formal complaint about the break-in with gardaí in Naas, Co Kildare.

“This complaint concerns RTÉ is investigating program,” he said. “Nobody has permission to go there.”

In response to questions, RTÉ said it became aware of Mr Fitzpatrick’s complaint several months ago.

“RTÉ fully supports the investigation and the program which demonstrated clear public interest,” the broadcaster said.

documentary, RTÉ investigates: Horses murderaired in June and featured scenes of horses being whipped, punched and trumpets blown. It also showed a dying horse being poked with pitchforks.

As well as gruesome scenes of cruelty, it exposed flaws in the tracking of horses that posed risks to the human food chain across Europe.

​A few days after the broadcast, Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue suspended Shannonside Foods. Mr Fitzpatrick was allowed to remove any horses left on the site to his premises in O’Briensbridge, Co Clare.

He released a statement to Sunday Independent last week, which was produced after the RTÉ broadcast. In a statement, Mr Fitzpatrick claimed the classified footage was “illegally obtained” between November 2023 and May last year.

He said 1,800 horses passed through the slaughterhouse and only a small percentage were shown to have been “allegedly mistreated”.

“Very often the horses destined for slaughter have received minimal training, are unfamiliar with their new surroundings and new companions, and are frightened. “It’s clear that the fight-or-flight response of a frightened horse can lead to clear and immediate danger, even for experienced handlers,” he said.

Mr Fitzpatrick denied microchips had been implanted in the two horses to change their identities.

He said the “people” captured in the film received threatening letters and phone calls, were effectively ostracized in their communities and their mental health suffered.

Mr. Fitzpatrick has been prosecuted three times for horse cruelty

Mr. Fitzpatrick’s work at the plant came under scrutiny.

An RTÉ documentary revealed Mr Fitzpatrick had a previous conviction for animal cruelty in 2012.

The Sunday Independent later announced that Mr. Fitzpatrick had three criminal convictions for horse cruelty and was on trial for allegedly abusing 54 horses when the department licensed his company to operate the nation’s only horse slaughterhouse.

Only one of Mr. Fitzpatrick’s three prosecutions was successful.

The Department of Agriculture is trying to explain numerous oversight failures at the abattoir, as well as its decision to issue Mr Fitzpatrick’s license while he was on trial.

Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer Michael Sheahan told a hearing of the Dáil Public Accounts Committee that he believed the abattoir’s standards were good.

RTÉ, which provided authorities with nearly 1,000 hours of footage, said this weekend it was assisting the gardaí and the department with investigations into animal cruelty and the practices it highlighted.

The department confirmed the seizure of Mr Fitzpatrick’s horses on 25 October. He said the presence of the animals breached a legal notice it had previously issued under animal health and welfare legislation.

“The department can confirm that the horses were successfully transferred to a secure holding facility, details of the location of which are confidential, and that the presence of An Garda Síochána was in line with standard practice in operations of this nature.”