Dungannon vet awarded £1.25m settlement and apology from DAERA

A FORMER government vet from Dungannon, has received a £1.25m settlement from the Department of Agriculture and Environment (DAERA).

Dr Tamara Bronckaers resigned from DAERA after raising concerns about animal welfare at live stock markets when her warnings about failures in the trace-ability of the meat supply chain were not listened to by her bosses.

In an industrial tribunal held last September, it was found that Dr Bronckaers had resigned due to a hostile work environment otherwise known as ‘constructive dismissal’.

Dr Bronckaers’ solicitor in a statement to the BBC said the £1.25m settlement was the largest of its type in Northern Ireland.

John McShane of McCartan Turkington Breen, said, “The outcome for Dr Bronckaers is wholly justified, bearing in mind the detriments she has suffered that have not only affected her career, but her family and her financial situation.

“I am quite simply astounded by Dr Bronckaers’ bravery. She was willing to do what was ethically right to the detriment of herself, her family, and her standard of living in retirement. It is a choice that very few people would make as the easier path would have been to keep quiet.

“Hopefully, the outcome of this landmark case provides reassurance that at the very least, those individuals who choose to whistle blow do have protection under the law.”

DAERA have since made an “unreserved” apology to Dr Bronckaers along with the compensation package.