Cow shooting ' wrong on so many levels'- SF TD

Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on Agriculture, Martin Kenny TD has described the shooting of five cows on a south Monaghan farmer amid a bankruptcy dispute earlier this week as “wrong on so many levels that it is hard to know where to start”. He is now seeking to have the matter discussed before the Dáil later today.

Inundated with calls from concerned constituents, he described the incident carried out by the Official Assignee in Bankruptcy, Chris Lehane, with approval from the Department of Agriculture and cooperation of the Gardai and Defence Forces as 'ironic' given that it coincides with national Farm Safety Week.

Sparking controversy across social media, images of the slain cattle have been widely shared and Deputy Kenny is now calling for the role the defence forces in the shooting of the cattle during repossession to be explained.

“This is wrong on so many levels that it is hard to know where to start. It is a cruel irony that such an action should occur during Farm Safety Week. There are reports of the farmer trying to drive cattle away while members of the defence forces were firing at them.”

The Deputy has submitted the matter to be discussed in the Dáil as a Topical Issue matter during which he intends to ask the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed to explain the role of his Department also and to ensure that a more humane approach is taken in future.

A spokesperson for the Department of Defence outlined that one of the roles assigned to the Defence Forces in the White Paper on Defence is to provide Aid to the Civil Power (ATCA) which, in practice, means to assist An Garda Síochána when requested to do so.

It has been alleged by the Official Assignee, Mr Lehane that the animals in question were “wild and dangerous” and done in the “interests of the cattle, public safety of the local community and to prevent the spread of TB in local livestock”.

It was further claimed that all avenues were 'exhausted' before the killing of the animals was sanctioned.

A spokesperson for the military told The Anglo-Celt yesterday: “An official request was received from An Garda Siochána requesting the assistance of the Defence Forces concerning the emergency culling of animals in the Carrickmaccross area.”

Deputy Kenny added that the repossession of property due to bankruptcy is “always traumatic” added that this assumed “heavy-handedness” cannot be tolerated. “It smacks of the bailiffs during the Great Hunger. Surely there was an alternative to killing animals when they did not fit into a trailer.

“The state has stooped to a new low it is lending its forces to impose the will of the banks in this way. I am also calling on the Ministers for Justice and Defence to explain the role of the Gardaí and defence forces in this incident,” Deputy Kenny said.

John Hoey, nnacroft farmhouse near Carrickmacross spoke to The Anglo-Celt this morning, expressing his shock at what occurred earlier this week.

“These animals were worth a thousand a piece to anyone. They're supposed to be helping me sell off my assets, not shooting them in front of me,” he said, adding that he has demanded information relating to the claims that his former herd was infected with TB.

See next week's newspaper for full report...