The review by former Irish chief vet Dr Martin Blake into the cull of 51 cattle on a farm outside Fivemiletown, sets out in detail what actually happened in and around that event.
While the headline conclusion is that the method of culling was appropriate from an animal welfare and veterinary science perspective, Dr Blake doesn’t shy away from failings by DAERA, including around record keeping, and what must be done differently in future.
Reading through the chronology of what happened on the first day of the cull, it is evident how the department staff gradually lost control, mainly because of a “well-intentioned” decision to facilitate the sale of some of the cattle.
The whole situation was exacerbated by dead cattle being left in clear sight of the general public, with the impact of this “under-appreciated” by DAERA – Dr Blake recommends that visual impact must be included in operational procedures going forward.
He is also critical of other aspects of operational planning and points out that he saw no evidence of any consideration being given to a graduated approach, where animals of one type (adult bulls) and on one site, would be initially culled.
It would have reduced risks and may have encouraged the herd keeper to hasten efforts to sell remaining animals, he reports.
On failings around how communications were managed, he points out that DAERA were “unprepared for a fast-moving media crisis” despite being aware that the operation had not gone to plan.
Recommendations
His high-level recommendations cover issues around operational planning, leadership, record keeping and the need to ensure any culled animals are removed quickly or shielded from public view.
However, at the end of the report he goes beyond his immediate terms of reference to consider issues around the lengthy court process in NI.
In the Fivemiletown case, the decision to prosecute was taken in January 2024. Dr Blake’s suggestion is that DAERA consider Scottish law, where inspectors can seize animals without going through the courts, with the herd keeper given a short time-window to submit a legal appeal. Such a process would “equip inspectors to proactively intervene to resolve developing welfare problems at an early stage”, states the review.
