Hundreds turn out at Stormont protest over cattle cull

Hundreds of farmers attended Stormont on Monday to voice their concerns following a cull of 51 cattle by the Northern Ireland (NI) Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) at the end of June.

The cull took place on a farm outside Fivemiletown in Co Tyrone, in response to a deprivation order issued by a judge at Dungannon Magistrate’s court.

The farmer involved had been convicted of various offences, including relating to animal welfare and a failure to dispose of dead cattle.

Addressing an extraordinary meeting of the Stormont Agriculture committee on Monday, NI Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir explained that the farmer had effectively been given three weeks to sell his cattle, but over the period, only a “small number” were moved out.

By that stage, he insisted his officers had “no option” but to cull any remaining cattle to satisfy the court order.

Professional advice

In ideal circumstances that would be done by loading the cattle and taking them off the farm.

However, the professional advice from his veterinary officials was that this was not possible due to a lack of suitable handling facilities, the temperament of the cattle and the fact some of the animals were horned.

The cattle were spread across three sites.

“The professional judgment of veterinary officials was that dispatch of cattle was deemed the only viable option,” said the minister.

He said he fully appreciated the “distressing nature of this case”, but pointed out that cattle on the farm during winter months had been kept in “grotesque conditions” and a large number had been subjected to unnecessary suffering.

Review

The minister has ordered an independent review of what happened, which is to be completed this autumn.

“I would urge everyone to take a step back and give external review time and space to examine and report,” he said.

He also took aim at those who have been circulating misinformation around the case and said some of his staff have been subjected to abuse and intimidation online, while he himself had received a death threat.