The independent external reviewer into the killing of 51 cattle in Fivemiletown, Co Tyrone has established a dedicated mailbox to receive relevant, verifiable information from members of the public and external parties.
The North’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs says the findings of the review will be completed as soon as possible after it is completed.
Dr Martin Blake, who is leading the review, is inviting anyone with information relevant to the planning, decision-making or implementation of the operation carried out in Fivemiletown on 29 and 30 June 2026 to submit it for consideration.
The operation was undertaken to comply with a Deprivation Order relating to a herd keeper who had been disqualified from keeping farmed animals. Dr Blake says information submitted should be verifiable, and relevant to the scope of the independent review.
Assurance are being offered that any information or personal data provided, will be handled in accordance with applicable data protection requirements, and used only for the purposes of supporting the review.
The review will assess whether the operation was conducted in accordance with the relevant legal framework, departmental procedures and accepted standards of public administration, and seek to identify lessons that can be learned.
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Independent external review invites information on Fivemiletown Deprivation Order operation
The independent external reviewer into the Department’s implementation of a court Deprivation Order in Fivemiletown, Co Tyrone has established a dedicated mailbox to receive relevant, verifiable information from members of the public and external parties.
Dr Martin Blake, who is leading the review, is inviting anyone with information relevant to the planning, decision-making or implementation of the operation carried out by DAERA in Fivemiletown on 29 and 30 June 2026 to submit it for consideration.
The operation that was undertaken to comply with a Deprivation Order relating to a herd keeper who had been disqualified from keeping farmed animals. Information submitted should be relevant to the scope of the independent review, as set out in the published Terms of Reference.
Relevant, verifiable information should be sent to the following email address: Independent.review2026@gmail.
Information submitted to the mailbox, including any personal data provided, will be handled in accordance with applicable data protection requirements and used only for the purposes of supporting the review.
Dr Blake was appointed last week by the DAERA Minister Andrew Muir to lead an independent and evidence-based assessment of the planning, decision-making and implementation of the operation.
The review will assess whether the operation was conducted in accordance with the relevant legal framework, departmental procedures and accepted standards of public administration and it will identify lessons to inform future practice.
The findings and recommendations of the review will be published as soon as possible upon completion.
Link to Terms of Reference: https://www.daera-
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