Coolmore has confirmed the “very regrettable” deaths of 14 young cattle during last month’s intense hot spell in Tipperary, with the company saying the incident was the result of human error.

The Irish Farmers Journal reports the cattle died from dehydration on a farm owned by Coolmore during what was one of the hottest July’s on record.

A Coolmore spokesperson told the Irish Farmers Journal that the deaths occurred during the intense heat and confirmed that the incident was immediately reported to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on Tuesday, 28 July 2026.

According to Coolmore, the incident happened after drinking water was temporarily disconnected while the animals’ water trough was being cleaned. The water supply was not reconnected and the cattle were not monitored in a timely manner.

“Coolmore confirms the very regrettable deaths of 14 young cattle during an intense hot spell last month, the hottest July on record,” the spokesperson said.

The company said it was deeply upset by what had happened and that immediate steps had been taken to prevent a similar incident from occurring again.

“Everyone in Coolmore is deeply, deeply, upset by what occurred and immediate steps were taken to prevent anything like this ever happening again,” the spokesperson said.

Coolmore also confirmed that an ongoing disciplinary process means it cannot comment further on the incident at this time.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine also confirmed that it was aware of the incident but said it does not comment on individual cases.

Coolmore, which is owned and run by the Magnier family, finishes hundreds of cattle each year across its farms.

The deaths occurred during a period of exceptionally hot weather, highlighting the importance of maintaining continuous access to drinking water and close monitoring of livestock during extreme temperatures.