14 Aug 2026
Ministers and officials are facing growing calls to quit despite senior government vets defending the operation.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Image: Aha-Soft / Adobe Stock
An independent review has been ordered into the slaughter of dozens of cattle on a Northern Ireland farm, amid growing public anger at how the case was handled.
Former Republic of Ireland CVO Martin Blake has been appointed to examine the operation near Fivemiletown, County Tyrone, following an emergency hearing at Stormont this week.
But critics have questioned his appointment, amid growing calls for the minister who hired him and top executive officials to resign.
A total of 51 animals were culled during the operation in June, which followed the implementation of a court deprivation order against a farmer who has been barred from keeping animals for life.
Since then, anger has focused on how the operation was carried out in open fields and with several animals reportedly being shot in public gaze.
Hundreds of farmers staged a protest outside Stormont on Monday 10 August, while senior government vets defended the operation inside, insisting they had prioritised the animals’ welfare and they believed there was no alternative.
More than 5,000 people have also signed an online petition demanding the resignations of both DAERA minister Andrew Muir and the department’s permanent secretary, Kathryn Godfrey.
Mr Muir said he was “confident Dr Blake has the experience and knowledge to lead” the review, which is expected to be completed in the coming weeks and will examine whether the cull was carried out in line with legal frameworks and appropriate administrative standards.
But DUP MP Carla Lockhart said there was a “massive question mark” over the appointment because of Dr Blake’s previous role and the close working relationships between departments across the Irish border.
In a Facebook post, she also claimed there were questions over similar incidents in the republic from his time as CVO, adding: “Independence must not only exist but be seen to exist. Perception matters.”
Earlier, in his evidence to the committee, Mr Muir revealed he had received a death threat over the issue as he condemned what he called “a wave of misogynistic, sectarian and homophobic hate, threats and intimidation” aimed at him and officials.