A privately held cattle company in Kentucky is facing federal charges for allegedly illegally moving 60,000 head of cattle out of state without proper inspection by a veterinarian.
A federal grand jury indicted Louisville-based Eugene Barber & Sons Inc. in early September with one count of conspiracy, one count of moving cattle in violation of federal law and one count of aiding and abetting a false statement, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Kentucky.
Authorities also indicted John Moran, DVM, on one count of conspiracy, one count of aiding and abetting in moving cattle in violation of federal law and one count of making a false statement. Eugene Barber & Sons allegedly conspired to violate the Animal Health Protection Act, which requires that an accredited veterinarian inspect cattle before they are shipped across state lines.
Moran is accused of falsely certifying that he inspected the cattle before shipment between January 2013 and September of 2015. The indictment accuses Moran of filing at least 600 false interstate certificates of veterinarian inspection covering more than 60,000 head of cattle during that period.
