Cattle sale injunction may be extended

The High Court will decide today if it is to extend an injunction preventing anyone disrupting an auction of cattle belonging to a Cork family of dairy farmers who were winners of Ireland’s Fittest Family programme on RTÉ.

The Cork County Sheriff, solicitor Sinéad McNamara, last week secured an order preventing the disruption of an auction of 1,000 cows and calves belonging to Peter and Tracey Kingston from Craden Hill Farm at Novohal in Kinsale, because of fears that protesters intended to prevent and disrupt the sale of the herd.

The injunction was granted against members of the Land league and New Land League, their spokesman Jerry Beades, and any other party with notice of the order, restraining them from interfering with the auction.

The auction proceeded on April 12 and the cattle were sold.

However, it later emerged that two parties who successfully bid on some animals in the herd had failed to pay for them and these animals may have to be resold.

Frank Callanan, counsel for the sheriff, said there are discussions taking place to see if an arrangement can be reached with those bidders.

Arising out of that, the sheriff, who said that there a number of incidents during the auction, wants additional orders including injunctions preventing anyone from interfering with the collection of animals from the Kingston farm, or from bidding on cattle in manner designed to frustrate the sale.

In a sworn statement, Ms McNamara said that the additional orders were being sought because hauliers of animals had received anonymous calls and had been threatened they would be “burnt out”.

In addition, vehicles and people attending the auction last week had also been intimidated by protesters.

Mr Beades, representing himself, disputed the validity of the injunction and argued it was flawed.

He said he had nothing to do with the Kingstons, that he was present at the farm to support other creditors who, he said, had not got paid.

He also said that any disruption to the auction or what had occurred after the sale of the cattle had nothing to do with him.

Mr Beades said what had occurred on the day of the auction was a peaceful protest. He rejected all allegations made against him.

The sheriff took possession of the Kingston’s farm which was placed in receivership last year arising from an unpaid loan.

The sale was designed to reduce the Kingston’s debt of €2.5m to ACC Loan Management.