Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I also raise the bizarre incident at a farm in Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, where five heifers were shot dead by members of the Defence Forces. There was also the involvement of the Garda and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on private property where an official assignee was in the process of seizing assets and disposing of them for a bankruptcy case. These are all State resources. Who made the decision? Did the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine make the decision that these animals would be shot down in this manner or was it the decision of the official assignee? It has been reported that they tried for eight hours to round up the animals. I find it very difficult to believe that they could not round up five heifers, having already rounded up 30 cattle and calves. Is this the most humane way to put animals down if they represent some risk to public health? We need a statement from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and/or the Department of Justice and Equality and perhaps the Department of Defence. Who is footing the Bill for all of this?

It sounds crazy and bizarre. It was reported that these animals were wild. It was also reported that the animals failed a TB test. How was it possible that the animals could be rounded up for a TB test but could not be rounded up subsequently? The official assignee is reported as saying that the animals were roaming the road and yet they were shot in a field. This matter gives rise to many questions and considerable concern over the use of State resources in cases of this nature. Is chasing down animals for eight hours the most humane way to proceed? People who know anything about animals will be aware that things will not get better after chasing them round a field for eight hours. I know many farmers with wild cows or calves who can coax them back to wherever they want them eventually. What happened in this instance does not sound very humane to me. Why were tranquilisers not used? I call for a statement from the relevant Ministers on how all of this came to pass. On the face of it, what happened seems pretty barbaric. At best it sounds as if a sledgehammer was used to crack a nut.