AERA committee agree to ask questions from Dr Martin Blake around Fivemiletown cattle cull
The AERA committee have agreed to provide evidence to Dr Martin Blake - the former Chief Veterinary Officer for Ireland who is leading an independent external review into DAERA’s controversial June 2026 cull of 51 cattle near Fivemiletown.
AERA Chair Diana Armstrong said: “As some witnesses may be reluctant to come forward to provide evidence to Dr. Blake, the committee may wish to write to the department to ask if rural support could act as a conduit".
She added that she has “also explicitly expressed an interest in finding out more about the wider picture around culls, going back a period maybe up to a period of 10 years”.
"The first thing, and the second one is that I am desperately keen to have clarified, and I think Dr Blake indicated that it might be possible on issues around wider animal welfare”.
The meeting heard that “the committee may wish to write to the department with an instruction that no documentation, electronic or hard copy, that may in any way be relevant, should be destroyed or deleted going forward to allay any public concerns in that regard”.
"Also, to write to Dr Blake about the humane slaughter team,” she added.
"At the meeting of the 10th of August, officials had stressed the skill and expertise of the humane slaughter team, and so it would be useful for Dr Blake's report to include other examples of when that team was called upon outside this jurisdiction, for what reason, and how those operations were conducted.
“Then, on animal welfare implications, members highlighted the long-standing animal welfare problems on the farm in question, and that it would be pertinent for Dr Blake to look back over the issues and determine where delays occurred in dealing with the animal welfare, be it at dairy level or during the legal processes.
"Also on previous dairy cull operations, members also suggested that it would be beneficial if the review could establish the pattern of culls over a period of time, at least 10 years, with or without ministerial sign-off, given that there was not always a minister in post to draw comparisons with the operation of June 2026.
“And to request that he keep the committee up to date with the progress of the review and report, and return to brief the committee in public session once it is complete”.
She added that this “would be really important, given the amount of interest” in his review.