Gardaí and Department of Agriculture investigating 'horror hole' horse abattoir

The programme highlighted activities in a lairage used by Shannonside Foods in Straffan, Co Kildare — Ireland's only licensed equine abattoir.

The European Commission has now issued an alert for horses slaughtered in Ireland, Italy, and Spain because it is "convinced there is evidence that animals that should have been removed from the food chain have not been removed," former Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney told the Dáil.

"In other words, their identities have been falsified. That in itself is a reputational issue that needs a very clear and firm response from the department and the State generally," he said.

Mr Coveney said the facility should be immediately closed until there is more clarity around the disturbing details that were uncovered using hidden cameras.

Describing the abattoir as "that horror hole", Ceann Comhairle Sean Ó Fearghaíl also asked for further clarity about the future operation of the facility.

Earlier, Finance Minister Michael McGrath said a full investigation has been under way for a number of weeks.

Anyone who has a love of animals will have been appalled by it. That is why the full force of the law will be applied here. This investigation needs to be allowed to take its course.

He added that the Department of Agriculture is now "on this in every respect that we would expect it to be", including with direct engagement supervision and regulation of the particular commercial premises.

He was responding to Sinn Féin's Pearse Doherty, who outlined a number of shocking incidents shown in the programme including "the stabbing with a pitchfork of a dying horse, the whipping of horses".

Mr Doherty said a question that so many people are asking is how the mistreatment happened "under the very nose" of the Department of Agriculture.

He outlined that department officials were present at the slaughterhouse "literally a yard's throw away" from where the footage was captured. He said: 

People are asking how could it be that this building, just yards away, did not fall under the remit of the Department of Agriculture? 

Responding, Mr McGrath said he wanted to be clear that the animal welfare rules apply everywhere.

"They apply also in the holding area even if that is not the area where the inspection was actually taking place, which is in the slaughterhouse itself. In the holding area, the same animal welfare rules apply."

Labour TD Duncan Smith highlighted the "gigantic levels of funding" received by the equine industry from the exchequer each year.

"We now have a clear sense of the murky and illegal practices that are going on."

He added: "What emerged last night raises serious questions for the Department of agriculture and for Horse Racing Ireland which appear to be asleep at the wheel."

Footage captured showed, among other things, horses being repeatedly punched around the head, whipped, and struck with long lengths of plastic piping.

After becoming too weak to stand, one horse was seen collapsing. It was later prodded with a pitchfork and died hours later.

On Thursday morning, Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue said the scenes shown in the programme and the treatment endured by the horses were unacceptable.

"It's certainly not representative of the way that people across this country and those in the industry treat and care for their horses. 

"We already have commenced an investigation in the Department of Agriculture.”

The minister said that his department has requested all the footage from RTÉ and other evidence for their investigation.

However, he said it was impossible to guarantee that violence against animals was not continuing.

"But what we have in place is very strict laws and very strict penalties in relation to that," he told RTÉ Radio's Morning Ireland.