Tyrone farmer fined after 91 suffering cattle were culled

A TYRONE farmer has been fined over £800 after a public complaint leads to 91 cattle needing to be culled.

At Enniskillen Magistrates Court on Monday Leslie Hall (71) of Cooneen Road, Fivemiletown, was fined for causing unnecessary suffering to animals.

The case arose following a complaint from a member of the public to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) Direct staff. DAERA Welfare and Enforcement Branch staff visited the premises on numerous occasions, between October 15, 2020 and June 26, 2024, to carry out welfare inspections.

During these inspections the officials noted animals with no access to fresh feed and water, multiple pens of animals being fed contaminated silage, several pens of animals housed with no access to dry lying areas, animals in poor condition, a significant number of lame animals and multiple animal carcases at various stages of decomposition.

During these inspections a total of 91 animals were euthanised as they were, in the opinion of the Veterinary Officers present, suffering unnecessarily.

At court Hall pleaded guilty to six charges of causing unnecessary suffering to bovines, three charges of failure to ensure the needs of an animal were met to the extent required by good practice, one charge of failing to appropriately dispose of animal carcasses and one charge of failure to produce veterinary medicine records.

The 71-year-old farmer was fined £825.