Co Monaghan farmer William Cranston, from Drumnacrib, Skerrymore, Castleblayney, this week lost his appeal at Trim Circuit Court against a conviction for handling stolen cattle.

The appeal, in which Mr Cranston represented himself, was taken by the farmer after he was convicted in the District Court in 2015.

The charges arose after a Department of Agriculture veterinary official visited a meat plant in Co Meath in 2014 and observed that a cattle carcase weighing close to 400kg was identified as coming from an animal aged just 10 months.

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DNA testing showed that the animal was, in fact, one of 11 that had been stolen from a Co Louth finisher.

This was established by testing DNA samples from dams of the stolen cattle. The cows were located on suckler farms in the west of Ireland but traced through the Department’s AIMS system.

This week’s case was heard by Judge Sarah Berkely, who will decide on his sentence at a subsequent date.