Calls grow for broader review after 51 cattle destroyed in DAERA operation

The Ulster Farmers’ Union has renewed calls for a wider independent review into the controversial DAERA operation in Co Tyrone which resulted in the destruction of 51 cattle.

Dr Martin Blake, former Chief Veterinary Officer for Ireland, has been appointed to carry out the external review into the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) operation near Fivemiletown.

The review will examine whether the action was carried out in line with the relevant legal framework, departmental procedures and accepted standards of public administration, while identifying lessons for future practice.

UFU president John McLenaghan said the union did not question Blake’s integrity or expertise, but remained concerned that a review of this scale was being conducted by one person.

“Dr Blake brings significant experience and expertise to the review as a former Chief Veterinary Officer for Ireland and the UFU has no reason to question either his integrity or his ability to undertake this work,” McLenaghan said.

“However, given the scale and complexity of the incident, we remain of the view that it is difficult for any one person to undertake a review of this nature in a way that is completely independent.”

The review follows controversy over a DAERA operation on 29 and 30 June in which 51 cattle were destroyed near Fivemiletown in County Tyrone.

DAERA said the action was taken “to execute a Court Deprivation Order on a herd belonging to a disqualified keeper, in respect of animal welfare offences”.

Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Andrew Muir said other options had been considered before the operation went ahead.

He said that “after careful consideration of all available options, the department was unfortunately left with no reasonable alternative to comply with the court order, other than to euthanise the animals”.

According to Muir, 50 cattle were euthanised on 29 June, with a further animal euthanised the following morning.

DAERA said the operation had been planned in advance, taking account of animal welfare, staff safety and the views of operational teams. The department also engaged with the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

The way the operation was carried out prompted significant criticism from within the farming community and led to calls for a fully independent examination of what happened.

The UFU has argued from the outset that the review should be conducted by a panel rather than a single individual.

McLenaghan said legal and animal welfare expertise, practical farming experience and other outside perspectives would strengthen confidence in the process.

“From the outset, the UFU called for a panel of experts, an approach that has been facilitated by DAERA in previous cases,” he said.

“Whether through legal and animal welfare representation, practical farming experience or other independent voices, a panel would provide greater balance, fairness and confidence in the process.”

The union also argues that scrutiny should extend beyond simply appointing someone from outside DAERA.

McLenaghan said the review should draw on expertise from people who are separate from the types of roles, systems and enforcement operations being examined, allowing the process to be considered more broadly.

Anger over the operation later spilled into a protest at Stormont on 10 August, when farmers gathered as the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee held an extraordinary meeting to examine the incident.

The UFU’s Animal Health and Welfare Committee and Executive are now due to consider the review’s terms of reference, with the union continuing to press for additional expertise to be added to the process.