Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir told an emergency Stormont committee on Monday that cattle on a farm in County Tyrone were in very poor condition, with some effectively starving, before his department culled them in June.

Mr Muir said DAERA officials had carried out welfare inspections between January 2022 and January 2024. They found emaciated animals, feed contaminated with urine and dung, and approximately 33 animal carcasses and bones on the site. The herd owner was convicted of animal welfare offences and disqualified for life from keeping animals. A court order required the owner to surrender the cattle.

The department shot 51 animals on June 29 and 30 on land near Fivemiletown and Clogher. The minister said veterinary staff determined that removing the cattle from the premises was not feasible and that on-site euthanasia was the only practical option. Silenced weapons were used and the location within the field was chosen to limit public exposure, he added.

Hundreds of farmers protested outside Parliament Buildings during the hearing. More than a dozen tractors were parked at the scene and Ulster Farmers’ Union members attended the committee session.

UFU president John McLenaghan said the union did not receive the answers it wanted and was disappointed. He said there had been no admission of errors or apologies, and criticised the minister for not yet publishing the terms of reference for an independent review he has ordered. Mr McLenaghan described what he called institutional dysfunctionality within DAERA and referenced a vote of no confidence the union passed last year. He described a death threat sent to Mr Muir as deplorable.

The minister condemned abusive messages directed at staff and himself, which he said included misogynistic, sectarian and homophobic threats. He told the committee he had received a death threat and had discussed the matter with police.

DUP MLA Deborah Erskine said an independent investigation was required and that eyewitness accounts clashed with DAERA’s version of events. Green Party councillor Anthony Flynn urged the minister to publish the operational plan and welfare risk assessment without delay.

The committee chair, Robbie Butler, had said before the meeting that the emergency sitting was unprecedented during a recess and that conflicting accounts needed to be examined.