Emergency meeting to be held at Stormont as UUP demand answers over 'deeply disturbing' farm incident
Stormont’s agriculture minister has agreed to an emergency meeting with the head of an Assembly scrutiny committee over a “deeply disturbing” incident where 51 cattle were shot dead in a field.
Andrew Muir had faced calls from the Ulster Unionist Party chair of the agriculture committee to attend an “urgent extraordinary meeting” of MLAs to answer questions about the incident.
He has ordered an external review into the matter, and says he would engage with MLAs on the issue.
The Minister has told the News Letter that he has requested a meeting with the committee chair and deputy chair on Monday.
Mr Muir said he “looks forward to further constructive engagement on what I recognise is an issue of concern where I continue to strive for full openness and transparency”.
However, the UUP is demanding a full recall of the committee over the matter.
It was reported last week that the cull, on land near Fivemiletown in County Tyrone, was carried out by the Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs' (Daera) Humane Slaughter Team.
The Ulster Unionist Party has said it is “demanding answers following this deeply disturbing incident”.
Daera committee chair and UUP agriculture spokesperson Robbie Butler said there are significant questions that require answers from Daera and the Minister.
“Farmers understand that disease control measures are sometimes necessary to protect animal health and our agri-food industry. However, where concerns have been raised about how an operation was carried out, there must be transparency and accountability.
“Silence from the Minister and DAERA in recent days has done little to reassure the farming community or the wider public. Confidence in the system depends on openness, timely communication and a willingness to answer legitimate questions.
“As Chair of the Assembly’s AERA Committee, I have today written to every Committee member and the Committee Clerk requesting that an urgent extraordinary meeting be convened, with a single agenda item, to allow Minister Andrew Muir to appear before the Committee and answer those questions directly.
“Trust, once lost, is not restored through silence. It is restored through openness, honesty and a willingness to answer difficult questions. Listening means more than saying you’ll listen; it means engaging, explaining decisions and being prepared to be held to account.
“The volume of correspondence I have received from right across Northern Ireland, but particularly from farmers and residents in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, demonstrates that this is no longer an isolated local issue. I have also been contacted by many people with no direct connection to farming, but who are deeply concerned about animal welfare, public confidence and how this operation was conducted.
“The calls for a full independent inquiry are growing. If confidence in DAERA’s animal health and welfare systems is to be restored, there must be an independent examination of the facts, the decisions that were taken and the manner in which this operation was carried out. Only then can public trust begin to be rebuilt.”, Mr Butler said.