Muir to face questions on Fivemiletown cattle cull controversy as rivals demand 'transparency'

In recent days politicians have been reacting to growing public anger over the issue, following social media posts about the shooting of the animals in a field by department vets.

Following a meeting with Chief Veterinary Officer Brian Dooher, the Ulster Farmers Union said it had “conveyed directly the considerable anger, distress and concern being expressed by farmers across Northern Ireland”.

A court had issued a deprivation order against the farmer, meaning the agriculture department (Daera) would be required to ultimately remove or cull animals from the farm.

It followed an animal welfare investigation which resulted in the farmer admitting to 21 charges against him. He is disqualified for life from keeping, owning or participating in the keeping of animals.

While the incident took place on 29 June, there has been a flurry of activity from politicians in recent days demanding greater transparency over the issue.

At the weekend, the chair of the Daera scrutiny committee Robbie Butler said the “silence from the Minister” and his department “has been startling and disappointing”.

The UUP MLA said he would demand “transparency, truth, accountability, change” from the Alliance minister at any future committee meeting.

That meeting will now go ahead next Monday, and it is believed that the minister and officials will appear to give evidence – with a review underway.

Speaking to Cool FM on Monday afternoon, Robbie Butler said "as much information that can be reasonably put out in the public domain is crucial here because gaining that public confidence is really, really, really crucial”.

He said it was up to his committee to make sure that the right questions are asked.

“But also to assist to ensure that the right information, the right questions are asked, and that the answers are then scrutinised to ensure that if there are any lessons to be learned, that we bring them forward.

“I mean, at the end of the day, we should always be in a process of review, and there are things we can do”.

Mr Butler suggested that perhaps in future officials could film on site “to give that confidence to the public and those concerned with the actions that were taken”.

DUP deputy leader Michelle McIlveen welcomed news of the extraordinary meeting next Monday.

She said: “My colleague Deborah Erskine has been raising concerns related to this case with the Minister for nearly 5 weeks and whilst the independent review initiated by the Minister is necessary, it is important that the Committee has an opportunity to scrutinise the incident.

“We will continue to ensure that the Minister and his officials are held to account for this incident. The scenes witnessed outside Fivemiletown were truly shocking and took place in view of the public. It is therefore important that discussions pertaining to this are also held in the public domain.”

Minister Muir said: “Animal welfare is an important issue for the people of Northern Ireland and it is something that I care deeply about. I fully appreciate the concerns expressed following the euthanasia of cattle near Fivemiletown, undertaken following a court order.

“I want to reassure everyone that I and my Chief Veterinary Officer take those concerns very seriously. Engagement with the UFU and the USPCA to hear their concerns is already planned and a review of the circumstances surrounding the intervention is also being taken forward.

“To provide assurance and ensure that the circumstances and context in which the actions of veterinary staff took place is more fully understood and any lessons for the future identified, I have now determined that this review must be taken forward by someone outside the department.

“We will very shortly publish the terms of reference and, once the review has been completed, will also make public the findings and recommendations and share these with the Assembly.

“I have also asked to meet the Chair & Deputy Chair of the AERA Committee to set out the particular circumstances surrounding the intervention that took place and to outline the actions we are taking and I look forward to this engagement”. Daera has previously said: “The operation was planned in advance and the methodology selected was considered the most appropriate in the circumstances, taking account of animal welfare, staff and public safety, and the views of relevant operational teams, including engagement with PSNI.

“As with any large and sensitive operation, officials responded dynamically to issues arising on the day and will complete a lessons learned review to identify any improvements for future operations”.