No alternative but to euthanise cattle, says minister

The agriculture minister has claimed there was "no reasonable alternative" to euthanising 51 cattle who were shot dead in a field in County Tyrone at the end of June.

The incident attracted widespread criticism after claims emerged that some of the cattle had been culled by Department of Agriculture staff in view of some members of the public in a field near Fivemiletown.

In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, the agriculture minister said it was "generally preferable" for the animals to be removed from the premises and euthanised remotely.

But Andrew Muir added 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".

Politicians from the Clogher Valley area had previously spoken out about accounts from the public and neighbours who said they were distressed after witnessing some of the cattle being culled.

The Department of Agriculture (Daera) previously outlined that it was carrying out a court order following a previous animal welfare conviction of the cattle owner.

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

In an urgent written statement to the assembly on Thursday, the minister outlined further details on the circumstances surrounding the incident that he said had been provided to him by his officials who attended.

The Ulster Farmers' Union called for the independent review to be completed without delay.

UFU president John McLenaghan said: "As a union we have been shocked, angered and deeply distressed by this incident.

"The strength of feeling across our membership is unlike anything we have witnessed for many years."

The union plans to attend the agriculture committee at Stormont on Monday to "challenge" Daera about the way the operation was carried out.

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

Muir outlined that the original herd owner had been given three weeks to sell or dispose of the animals following his conviction.

He said that when his staff arrived at the farm, 51 cattle remained and that his staff were "unfortunately left with no reasonable alternative to comply with the court order, other than to euthanise the animals".

The minister added: "Euthanising the animals remotely was not possible due to the lack of suitable, safe facilities on farm to gather up and contain animals to protect both the animals and staff; the temperament of the animals; the additional stress of handling and suitability of the animals for transport e.g. some of the cattle were horned; and the reality that it was simply not possible to transport all of the animals away from the location."

The statement also confirmed that 50 of the cattle were euthanised on 29 June with one animal euthanised by the team the next morning.

The animal carcasses were collected on the morning of the 30 June at "the department's expense".

Some politicians had previously raised concerns that members of the public and neighbours had seen the cull taken place and had heard gunfire in the area.

In the statement on Thursday, Muir said that there were no sounds of "loud gunfire" and that "silencers" were used.

The minister said efforts had been made to undertake the cull in parts of the fields which would "minimise exposure to public view".

He added: "Although complete screening from all possible vantage points could not be guaranteed, efforts were made to keep the operation out of public view."

The minister also outlined that a local farmer approached Daera staff at the scene to indicate a potential interest in purchasing some of the animals and that "operations were halted".

He added: "The local farmer seeking to purchase some of the animals, another individual and the herd keeper were facilitated to remove the animals from a field into a lorry. They chased the animals for a significant period of time and released them onto a public road which created further health and safety risks.

"While those actions delayed the completion of operations, ultimately, Daera staff had to intervene as the individuals were unable to detain the animals which by that stage were stressed. At this time there was a small number of protesters at the site, but operations did not recommence until they had left the scene."

The minister outlined that the remaining cattle were moved from the road and were "subsequently euthanised".

Muir said it was a "complex and distressing case" for his staff and condemned threats and online abuse that had subsequently been made against Daera staff.

Earlier this week the minister ordered an external review into the incident and he is due to appear before a Stormont committee on Monday.

DUP MLA for Fermanagh South Tyrone Deborah Erskine said it is "clear that significant questions remain" and called for an apology to those who saw the animals being culled.

"There remains a need for greater transparency around the options considered before the decision was taken to euthanise the remaining animals. We also need the precise legal basis for those decisions and the operational planning surrounding the exercise," she said.

She added that it is welcome that an independent external review is taking place but said it needs to be "genuinely independent" and that "the public deserve clear answers".