Ulster Farmers’ Union president John McLenaghan has said the organisation’s call for Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir to resign is not personal, after Mr Muir accused the union of seeking to dictate government policy.

The union demanded the minister step down over his department’s handling of a cull of 51 cattle on a farm near Fivemiletown, County Tyrone, in late June. Mr McLenaghan described Mr Muir’s comments as unfair and disingenuous, and said the union has worked with every government over its 120-year history, including at Stormont and Westminster. He added that Daera often invites the union to participate in policy co-design because the department lacks sufficient resources.

Mr McLenaghan said the decision to call for the minister’s resignation came after details of the review into the cull were confirmed. The union had wanted an independent panel of experts, but Mr Muir appointed a single person, Dr Martin Blake, a former chief veterinary officer for Ireland. Mr McLenaghan said this was the final trigger. He argued that a single reviewer could not adequately examine legal aspects, animal welfare and farmer welfare.

Mr Muir has said his department had no reasonable alternative but to comply with a court order and cull the animals, and that he ordered an external independent review because the public deserved answers. He said the days of the union dictating government policy were over.

Alliance deputy leader Eóin Tennyson said the cull was being used as an excuse to target Mr Muir’s job. He claimed the union’s motivation was not the Fivemiletown case or animal welfare, but the fact that there is now a minister not beholden to vested interests.

The cattle were shot by Daera’s humane slaughter team on 29 and 30 June, after the herd owner was convicted of animal welfare offences in May and a court issued a deprivation order. The owner was given time to transfer or dispose of the animals, and after an extension lapsed, the operation took place. Some members of the public witnessed part of the shooting.

Dr Blake is expected to report on the review by early autumn.