Questions over 'wild west' style shooting of 50 cattle, as review carried out

A review is being carried out into an incident which saw 51 cattle being shot dead in a field, with some of it visible to members of the public.

The cull took place in land near Fivemiletown in County Tyrone last month and it was carried out by the Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs' (Daera) Humane Slaughter Team.

Sinn Féin councillor Eugene McConnell said that while there may have been valid reasons for the farm animals to be culled, the public way it was carried out was "disturbing".

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

A spokesperson for Daera said the court directed that the defendant be deprived of the ownership of all farmed animals and ordered the destruction of the animals.

But now fresh questions are being raised over how the cattle cull operation was carried out.

DUP MLA Michelle McIlveen, who is a Daera committee member and a former agriculture minister, has called for an "urgent sitting" of the committee.

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

At a recent Mid Ulster Council meeting, reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), it was described as a "wild west scene" by McConnell, who was at the site of the cull.

A Daera spokesperson added: "During the operation, people in the area became aware of activity at the site, with a noticeable increase in local traffic on the adjoining county roads and a number of people gathering to intentionally observe the operation.

"Unfortunately, due to disruptions by a small number of members of the public, this operation took significantly longer than it should have taken."

Speaking to BBC News NI, McConnell added: "I have never seen anything like it. It felt very inhumane, and it was extremely upsetting for those who came across the scene.

"Gun shots could be heard miles away, some people were just driving past, so questions have to be asked; did this cull have to take place in such an open way, surely there were other options?"

DUP MLA for Fermanagh South Tyrone Deborah Erskine said the case raised serious questions.

She said: "There are regularly incidents where Daera has to go in to cull animals for welfare reasons, but something went very wrong here.

"Members of the public shouldn't have seen this. In one case I'm aware of a father and son driving past this field and witnessed this in broad daylight, that shouldn't have happened."

She added: "There is some very upsetting footage and pictures of this incident and it has caused huge upset in this community."

Erskine recently received correspondence about the case from Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir.

In the letter, Muir emphasised that the department was asked by a court to dispose of the animals and that the farmland in question was remote.

The minister said the operation was carried out in the field rather than in a yard due to "operational difficulties and health and safety considerations".

The minister said during the operation neighbours and members of the public became aware of activity at the site and that this resulted in an increase in local traffic.

He added: "Unfortunately, during operations a number of unforeseeable issues were created by a small number of members of the public, some of whom were seeking to disrupt the operation.

"This posed an additional potential risk which was factored and addressed by dynamic response."

The minister said that "due to disruptions by members of the public", the operation did not finish until after 22:00 and as a result the carcasses of the cows were not collected until the next morning.

Muir said it was "a highly sensitive operation" and that "these situations are rare".

He commended his officials for undertaking work "in the face of significant physical and mental challenges".

The minister said a meeting had been arranged with the police to "discuss the issues encountered in this case".

Commenting on the minister's letter, Erskine said she was "disappointed" that he was directing some of the blame towards the public.

She said: "From the members of the public I've been speaking to who were there, they were there to say 'please stop and think about you're doing here', because this is causing major upset in a quiet part of the countryside.

"What was witnessed here was pretty much a massacre in the countryside, but I welcome the fact that the minister has announced a review into this distressing incident."

The culling of farm animals in Northern Ireland is strictly regulated by Daera under specific laws.

Mass or individual culls are generally restricted to notifiable disease control, welfare emergencies, or licensed slaughter.

McConnell said there was still a deep shock in the Clogher Valley community about the incident.

"I described it like a Wild West scene and raised it at council level because that it is how the local community felt about it and they were angry and looking for answers."

"The main thing now is that we don't want something like this to happen again, so there has to be learning from what has been a really traumatic incident for this community," he said.

The Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) said it was aware of the incident and has requested an "immediate" meeting with Muir.

UFU President John McLenaghan said the level of concern among its members "cannot be ignored".

"While we recognise this operation was carried out under a Court Deprivation Order," he said, "serious questions have been raised about how it was conducted."

He added:"Regardless of the circumstances surrounding the enforcement action, the destruction of livestock must be carried out in a manner that is humane, proportionate and maintains confidence among farmers and the wider public."

Independent Mid Ulster councillor Kevin McElvogue said: "It's inhumane the way this cull had been carried out in view of neighbours.

"We need to know the outcome of the review into this horrific act as soon as possible."

Daera said there had been engagement with the police, adding: "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."