Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir was in a combative mood answering questions in Stormont on Monday during the first day of formal meetings following summer recess.

A number of the questions focused on the cull of 51 cattle on a farm near Fivemiletown at the end of June, with North Antrim MLA Timothy Gaston asking the minister when he will resign.

“Mr Gaston, I will be going nowhere. All that you bring to this Chamber is division and hate,” responded the DAERA minister.

He pointed out that he did not authorise or direct the cull at Fivemiletown, but understood the public concern around what happened.

Going forward, he has instructed officials that any further use of DAERA’s humane enforcement team (which undertook the cull) must be authorised by NI chief vet, Brian Dooher.

There is also an ongoing review of the incident being undertaken by former Irish chief vet, Dr Martin Blake.

“I will not seek to restrain what Dr Blake does. He is doing good work. I encourage anyone who has any relevant information to share it with him,” said the minister, adding that the only information which will be withheld in a final report will be that required under data protection legislation.

“Full transparency is the default position,” he said.

No confidence

During ministerial questions on Monday, Minister Muir suggested a lot of the furore around the Fivemiletown cull was driven by some who do not want him in post due to his stance on the environment and climate change.

He also took aim at the legacy left by his predecessor; DUP MLA Edwin Poots.

“Very little action was taken on TB. There was unlawful action on ammonia. NI was treated as an environmental sacrifice zone. The situation that the DUP left for me to inherit was a disgrace,” he said.

Those comments were picked up by Upper Bann DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley on Tuesday as he brought forward a Motion of No Confidence in Minister Muir.

He suggested that the responses by Minister Muir to questions on Monday was “reflective of a man completely out of control”.