Fivemiletown: Emergency Stormont meeting over cattle cull in field

An emergency meeting of Stormont’s agriculture committee will take place later to discuss the shooting dead of 51 cattle in a field in County Tyrone.

The cull was carried out by staff from the Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) on land near Fivemiletown in June.

But it prompted widespread criticism after claims that some of the cattle had been killed in view of members of the public.

One councillor claimed the cull was “like a wild west scene” and gunfire was heard, but Stormont’s agriculture minister, who will appear in front of the committee, said there was “no reasonable alternative” to euthanising the animals on site.

Andrew Muir said last week that it was “generally preferable” for the animals to be removed from the premises and euthanised remotely.

But that in this case it was the assessment of veterinary staff that “this option was simply not possible”.

The minister said they used the most suitable areas within the field to “minimise exposure to public view”.

Daera previously said it was carrying out a court order following a previous animal welfare conviction of the cattle owner.

Warning: This article contains an image of dead animals that some may find distressing

The Ulster Farmers’ Union has urged its members to attend the special meeting on Monday criticising the “barbaric actions of a government department that should have agriculture as it’s number one priority”.

“We all must stand up and be accounted for,” it said in a statement.

The statement went on: “Nothing will do but justice is finally done for those involved and Andrew Muir resigns.”