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Cattle cull witness says shootings were something no-one should ever see

Jayne McCormack,Political correspondent, BBC News NIand
Enda McClafferty,Northern Ireland political editor
News imageBBC Andrew Keys is a a middle aged man with short light brown hair. He is wearing a blue and white striped shirt with the top two buttons undone. He is standing at the top of a large hill covered in green grass and trees in the background. BBC
Andrew Keys says the cull was "not something that anybody should ever witness or see"

A farmer who witnessed a controversial cattle cull has described what happened as "cruel" and "simply not right".

Andrew Keys was working on his own farm in Fivemiletown, County Tyrone, when he said he heard gunshots coming from a field nearby where 51 cattle were being culled at the end of June.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) previously said it was carrying out a court order following the cattle owner's conviction on animal welfare grounds.

Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir has said there was no reasonable alternative to the cattle being euthanised on site.

'It is simply not right'

News imageA large crowd of men and women stand facing Stormont on a sunny day. There are trees and fields in the distance behind them.
A large crowd of people including protesters and politicians gathered outside Stormont ahead of the meeting

Mr Keys was among hundreds of farmers who protested at Stormont on Monday, as the minister and Daera officials appeared before an emergency meeting of Stormont's agriculture committee about the matter.

The farmer said he believed there was nothing wrong with the cattle, health or behaviour wise, and that they should have been allowed to go to a different farm.

Speaking to BBC News NI, he said he felt the farming community needed to stand up against it.

"It is simply not right - it's not something that anybody should ever witness or see.

"Three calves ran away, some of them weren't found up until nearly a week later, one with a serious injury."

He claimed that one calf had been shot in the neck, and said the incident was "totally against" what farmers work towards and that it could "never happen again".

Minister received death threat

News imagePA Media A man with glasses and short dark, greying hair stares into the camera. He is wearing a grey suit, white shirt and dark tie.PA Media
Minister Andrew Muir said the abuse he and his officials received was "a disgrace"

At the agriculture committee, the minister repeated his view that what had happened was "distressing".

Muir also said he has been subjected to a wave of abuse including a death threat since details of the cull became public.

He told the committee how officials in his department have been threatened and have been subjected to "misogynistic, sectarian and homophobic" abuse which he said was "despicable and deeply concerning".

The minister blamed "inaccurate reporting and commentary" for the abuse.

Minister Muir said the photos and videos which have emerged after the cull were "deeply upsetting", but he insisted the cull was a last resort as officials had to act on a court order banning the farmer from keeping animals.

'No alternative'

Elsie McGarvey, senior Principal Veterinary Officer in Daera, also told the committee that public opinion could not influence decisions taken by officials on animal welfare.

"Just because somebody doesn't like seeing something it doesn't mean that we should not do it...we have to be able to carry out our duties in the best interests of the animals.

"We always knew our main issue would be getting these animals gathered up and off the farm, we always knew we'd have no alternative but the action we took because of the experience we have had on this farm over the last number of years."

Members of Farmers for Action, the Ulster Farmers Union and political representatives were among the crowd at Monday's protest.

The cull prompted widespread criticism after claims that some of the cattle had been killed in view of members of the public.

Last week, the agriculture minister said that it was "generally preferable" for the animals to be removed from the premises and euthanised remotely.

But that in this case it was the assessment of veterinary staff that "this option was simply not possible".

Muir said they used the most suitable areas within the field to "minimise exposure to public view".

Previously, Muir said that there were no sounds of "loud gunfire" and that "silencers" were used.

He 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.

The minister has also ordered an external review into the incident.

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

News imageOTHER Dead cattle lie in a field - the cows are beige coloured and they are lying among green grass and weeds. A farmhouse is visible in the background.OTHER
The cattle were shot dead in a field in County Tyrone in June

Speaking at Stormont after the committee session, the Ulster Farmers' Union said it was "bitterly disappointed" by what it had heard on Monday.

The union's president John McClenaghan said they did not get the answers they were looking for and "got more confusion than clarity".