// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
'The department has lost touch with farmers' - call for minister's resignation over cattle cull
There have been calls for the Agriculture Minister, Andrew Muir, to resign
A farmers' union has called for the Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir to resign over how a cull of 51 cattle was carried out.
They were shot in County Tyrone in June, following a court order after the cattle owner's conviction on animal welfare grounds, leading to complaints about the manner of the cull, which was carried out within earshot of members of the public.
The Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) President John McLenaghan said there were concerns about the independence of a Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) review into the incident.
A Daera spokesperson said their door would "remain open to engage with all including the UFU".
The union also called for Daera's Permanent Secretary Katrina Godfrey and the Chief Veterinary Officer Brian Dooher to resign.
In response, the senior civil servants' union the FDA said it was "entirely inappropriate" to call for the resignation of officials who were "duty-bound to serve ministers" and "could not defend themselves publicly".
The minister has previously said there was no reasonable alternative to the cattle being euthanised on site and has insisted it was a last resort as officials had to act on a court order.
An external review of the cattle cull was announced by Daera earlier this month, but the UFU's Executive Committee met on Thursday night.
Ulster Farmers' Union president John McLenaghan said the UFU "no longer have confidence that the Department can deliver"