'The department has lost touch with farmers' - call for minister's resignation over cattle cull
The minister has previously said there was "no reasonable alternative" to the cattle being euthanised on site after the 51 cattle were culled following a court order.
The Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) has demanded that Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir resign over the handling of a cattle cull in County Tyrone. The incident, which involved the shooting of 51 cattle in June, has sparked concerns about the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) losing touch with farmers. UFU President John McLenaghan criticized the department's independence, questioning the review's scope and the appointment of a single person to conduct it.
He insisted that a demonstrably independent and robust investigation is necessary, given the severity of the incident. The UFU has consistently advocated for such an investigation, calling for the resignation of Daera's Permanent Secretary Katrina Godfrey and Chief Veterinary Officer Brian Dooher. An external review has been announced, to be led by Dr Martin Blake, a former Chief Veterinary Officer for Ireland.
Written by urgent.news from BBC Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
