Ireland: Not all dairy farmers culpable for abuses in RTÉ footage

“Disturbing” scenes aired in an RTÉ Investigates programme tonight (Monday, July 10) are not reflective of thousands of dairy farmers “who are already obeying all the rules around calf welfare,” the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) has said. The President of the ICMSA, Pat McCormack, said that he and his members found the issues and footage from the RTÉ Investigates programme “disturbing and disappointing”. “In the first instance, the blame and culpability for this mistreatment lies absolutely with the individuals involved and those supervisors who may have had knowledge of these cruel practices, but who failed to act. “ICMSA expects the Department (of Agriculture) to now investigate fully, and we know that they will be thorough and fair,” the ICMSA president said. Advertisement McCormack stressed that there are laws and regulations in relation to animal welfare that must be enforced and sanctions, including prosecution, which also must be enforced where there is ...