The men are due to appear in court today
Four men have been arrested and charged in connection with organised deception and fraudulent practices involving the tampering of identification passports and microchips of horses due for slaughter.
The arrests come following a three year joint investigation carried out by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Food Safety Authority of Ireland.
The men were arrested and charged this morning, and they are due to appear at Kilkenny District Court today.
The four men are aged; one in their 30s, one in his 40s and two in their 50s

€20m For Kildare Roads - Safety Works Included Across 17 Sites, Including Dag Welds Cross
Department Of Education Pauses Review Into SNA Allocations
Owners Get Large Tax Breaks For Letting Public View Art And Cultural Assets - But No List Exists
Learner Driver’s "Big Shop" Raises Garda Eyebrows In Newbridge
M9 Park-and-Share Plans For South Kildare Await Talks With Private Landowners That Are Yet to Begin
Search For Clues In Deirdre Jacob And Jo Jo Dullard Cases Enters Second Day
Moore Abbey Site Identified For New Monasterevin Fire Station Subject To Land Acquisition
Kildare Homes Getting €600 Ukraine Hosting Payment Nearly Triple As National Spend Tops €424 Million