Report finds ‘insufficient consideration’ to impact of sight of slaughtered cows

An operation by officials from a Stormont department to shoot 51 cows in Co Tyrone gave “insufficient consideration” to the impact of dead animals being left in public sight in open fields, a report has found.

The external review into the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) operation in Fivemiletown in June has said officials acted lawfully.

Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir has said he will implement all the recommendations in the report by former Irish chief veterinary officer Dr Martin Blake.

Daera’s Humane Slaughter Team carried out the cull of the cattle on land on June 29 and 30 following a court order which resulted in a lifetime disqualification of the keeper and a deprivation order.

Concerns have been raised by some political representatives and farmers about the public nature of the incident, leading Mr Muir to order the external review.

The minister also faced calls to resign from the Ulster Farmers’ Union and was also the subject of a failed motion of no-confidence brought by the DUP.

The review said there was a “clear difference between the technical competence and the administrative governance of the operation”.

It said from an animal welfare and veterinary science standpoint, culling of livestock at pasture using “free bullets was an appropriate method”.

It said: “This avoided the additional fear, panic, and distress that forced yard-gathering and transport would have inflicted upon cattle unaccustomed to such handling.

“White the field operation was delivered in accordance with recognised technical protocols by trained marksmen, the subsequent tracking and accounting of livestock across sites identified a significant operational gap in site clearance protocols.”

The review said there had been “visual and emotional upset felt by individuals relating to the event”.

It said: “Witnessing the sight of animal carcases left exposed in open fields and hearing about farm animals being culled instinctively triggers a sense of disbelief, sadness, and public concern.

“The operation’s planning gave insufficient consideration to this human and community impact.”

The review found a “post-conviction procedural gap” characterised by a lack of specific guidelines for implementing deprivation orders and divided management oversight of the Humane Slaughter Team (HST).

It added: “Furthermore, a disconnect in understanding led to carcasses being left in open fields, contributing to much public disquiet.”

The report also said that a “well-intentioned” decision on June 29 to suspend the cull to attempt to facilitate a private sale of some of the cows “introduced unintended operational complications”.

It said: “The decision introduced further operational and reputational risks which materialised later that evening when efforts by third parties to corral the animals failed in public view and animals escaped onto the roadway.”

The review added: “The department’s traditional, reactive communication protocol did not anticipate a fast-moving conventional and digital media response.

“By maintaining the traditional privacy-first messaging approach to protect individual privacy, the department left a space for a public narrative to form in the absence of official factual information.”

The review has made 10 recommendations, including changes to the process for determining the best approach to enforcing court orders in future, how operations are planned and signed off and the way requests to dispose of livestock are handled.

It has also recommended changes for planning of communications for operations that may be visible to the public and cause concern.

The Ulster Farmers’ Union said the independent review into the Fivemiletown livestock culling operation has exposed serious failures in governance, oversight and decision-making within Daera.

The review identifies significant shortcomings in the planning, oversight and management of the operation, raising fundamental questions about departmental decision-making and the safeguards in place during major enforcement actions.

UFU president John McLenaghan said, “From the outset, the UFU made clear that the events at Fivemiletown required a thorough, transparent and independent examination of the decisions taken, the governance arrangements surrounding those decisions and the safeguards in place during such a significant enforcement operation.

“While we acknowledge the review's findings regarding the legal basis for the operation and the method of culling, its wider conclusions make for deeply concerning reading.”