A woman has pleaded guilty to 25 offences under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 at Mullingar District Court.
She appeared in court earlier this month.Â
The charges included causing unnecessary suffering to a number of animals on her property, as well as neglect and recklessness with regard to the animals' welfare.
55-year-old Beatrix Urban — of The Vale of Uisneach, Killare, Athlone Road, Mullingar, County Westmeath - was fined €1,500 on one charge.
Image: ISPCA
Judge Seamus Hughes also ordered her to pay an additional €1,000 towards costs of the investigation.
The other 24 charges to which she pleaded guilty were taken into consideration.
The ISPCA visited the property in March 2017 to find dogs of various breeds, a number of fowl, a Rhea bird (a flightless bird native to South America), a rare breed of pig and a pony living in dirty, overcrowded and sub-standard conditions.
Twenty dogs were removed and transported to the ISPCA National Animal Centre to undergo vet assessment and treatment.
Image: ISPCA
Inspectors made several visits to the property and collaborated with the Department of Agriculture - as well as the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
In addition to the financial penalties, Judge Hughes also imposed an order which restricts her to the number and type of animals she can keep.
Image: ISPCA
She also can't replace any animals without the written consent of the Department of Agriculture.
The court heard she had run a rescue centre on her property up to 2007/2008.
