Tyrone cattle cull found lawful, but review raises serious questions
An independent review has found that the June shooting of 51 cattle in County Tyrone by Northern Ireland's agriculture department was lawful and appropriate on animal welfare grounds. It also identified significant governance and communication shortcomings.
A June operation by Northern Ireland's Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), in which 51 cattle were shot near Fivemiletown in County Tyrone, was lawful, according to an independent external review. The review was commissioned by Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir and carried out by Dr. Martin Blake, a former Irish Chief Veterinary Officer. The final report was published on Tuesday, November 10.
DAERA had earlier confirmed the operation was carried out to execute a court deprivation order on a herd belonging to a disqualified keeper, in connection with animal welfare offences. The minister described the case as one of the most shocking and sustained cases of animal cruelty departmental veterinary officials have dealt with, and said it led to a lifetime disqualification of the keeper.
What the review found
The report concluded that the culling method was appropriate from an animal welfare standpoint, and that the field operation was generally well planned and delivered by trained marksmen. However, it described a clear difference between the technical competence and the administrative governance of the operation. Shortcomings included poor record-keeping, a lack of clear procedures, and calves being missed during site clearance. One calf was found on a public road with a neck wound several days after the operation.
Preparations, the report said, did not adequately take into account likely public perception or the emotional impact on the community. Local concern grew when DAERA's original plan was changed to allow some animals to be sold privately, which introduced risks that were not properly assessed. Those risks materialised on the evening of June 29, when third-party attempts to round up animals failed in public view and animals escaped onto a roadway. The review could not establish why three animals were culled at one site after the decision to suspend the operation for a private sale; it suggested miscommunication or an undocumented tactical decision.
DAERA's communications response also came under scrutiny, with claims it was unprepared for a fast-moving media storm that erupted about four weeks later, leaving individual staff exposed to intimidation and hostility.
Recommendations
Dr. Blake made 10 core operational recommendations, including a more rigorous oversight system and collective risk evaluation of enforcement plans. Others cover how court orders are enforced, how operations are planned and signed off, how requests to dispose of livestock are handled, how information is recorded during complex operations, and how communications are planned. Minister Muir said all recommendations are accepted in full and stressed that he did not authorise or direct the operation.
