10 August 2026

SDLP Opposition AERA Spokesperson Daniel McCrossan MLA has told Minister Andrew Muir that a recent cattle cull must lead to a change in policy.

He was speaking after the incident at a farm near Fivemiletown in Co Tyrone sparked outrage.

West Tyrone MLA Daniel McCrossan said:

“Firstly, I want to condemn death threats and other abuse directed against Andrew Muir and his officials in the strongest possible terms. There can be no justification for that kind of behaviour and it totally detracts from the matter at hand.

“People were rightly shocked at such a large number of cattle being slaughtered in broad daylight. The response from the Minister and his department has not been good enough. They need to accept that this was handled in the wrong way and take steps to ensure it is never repeated.

“We heard today that an independent review is due later this year. While that is welcome, I believe the current policy should be paused until that work is complete and we have all the information in front of us. The strength of feeling around what happened was clear today and the Minister cannot simply ignore it.

“I would urge people, particularly those in our farming and rural communities, to take part in this review and make their voices heard. I accept there will be occasions when enforcement action is necessary to maintain high welfare standards, but serious questions remain about how this incident was handled. DAERA must learn from what happened and make the appropriate changes.”