Ulster Unionist Party Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs spokesperson and Chair of the Assembly’s AERA Committee, Robbie Butler MLA, has responded to the Urgent Written Statement issued by Minister Andrew Muir MLA on the euthanising of 51 cattle near Fivemiletown, County Tyrone.

Robbie Butler said:

“I welcome the publication of this statement and the information it provides. I’ve received substantial correspondence from across Northern Ireland and further afield, and it is right that public debate on this case now proceeds on the basis of accurate information.

“The statement sets out that the Department was acting to comply with a court deprivation order following convictions for animal welfare and disposal offences, and that the keeper had been disqualified for life. That is important context. However, the existence of a court order does not settle the question of how the decision was reached or how it was carried out and it is the 'how' that farmers are asking about.

“The central question is whether every alternative to euthanasia was genuinely exhausted. The statement records that the keeper divested himself of some animals during the three-week period, and that on the day of the operation a local farmer approached staff indicating an interest in purchasing animals. If sale or transfer was possible for some of the herd, farmers will want to understand precisely why it was judged impossible for the remaining 51, and at what point that judgement became final.

“I welcome the Minister’s decision to commission an externally led review and his commitment to publish both the terms of reference and the findings. Its credibility, however, will rest on scope. A lessons learned exercise confined to how the operation was conducted would not answer the question farmers are actually asking, which is how the decision to euthanise was reached in the first place. I would encourage the Minister to reflect that in the terms of reference before they are finalised.

“Let me be clear about the treatment of Departmental staff. The threats, online abuse and misogynistic commentary directed at DAERA officials and veterinary staff are indefensible, and anyone amplifying such material should stop. Legitimate scrutiny and abuse are not the same thing, and neither should be used to excuse the other.

“The extraordinary meeting of the AERA Committee, which I requested, will take place at Stormont on Monday 10 August. Farmers and rural communities have raised serious and reasonable questions and are entitled to answers. I would ask those attending, or gathering outside, to let that process do its work and to express their concerns with the dignity that will best serve their case.”