A Green Party councillor has called for Minister Muir to face full scrutiny over the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs' (DAERA) cull of 51 cattle in Fivemiletown and publish key documents without delay.

Cllr Anthony Flynn said Minister Muir should not point to threats made against staff as a way to avoid examination of the DAERA decision to destroy 51 animals in Fivemiletown.

He stressed that any threats or abuse directed at DAERA staff are reprehensible and must be condemned, but added that this does not remove the need for accountability and transparency around what happened.

Flynn said there are reasonable questions that need answers: why was ending the cattle's lives deemed necessary, what other options were considered, and whether animal welfare genuinely guided the choices made.

He referenced reports that a farmer's late attempt to purchase additional cattle preceded animals escaping and being pursued on a public road. If a sale was still viable in the days before the operation, Flynn argued, the public deserves a clear explanation for why it was not completed, rather than being told no alternatives existed.

Cllr Anthony Flynn said: "DAERA cannot talk about strengthening animal welfare standards on one hand while presiding over the mass destruction of healthy cattle in a public field on the other.

"The independent review must fully examine the decisions that led to this outcome, including what alternatives existed and why they were rejected.

"Minister Muir and DAERA owe the public complete transparency about what happened, and why."

He added that the Department's duty of care began once the animals came under state control, and that every reasonable step should have been taken to safeguard them.

"These are valid public concerns," Flynn said, "and dismissing them—or using the abuse aimed at staff to close down debate—does not provide the answers people expect."

With an external review not due to report until autumn, he said DAERA should not cite the timeline as a reason to withhold essential information now.

Flynn called for immediate publication of the operational plan, the welfare risk assessment, and the rationale for how the cull was carried out, rather than waiting for the review to conclude.