Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Andrew Muir said he suspected the motivation was due to his commitment to climate action.
Part of the furore of the shooting of cattle in Co Tyrone over the summer was due to people not wanting Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Andrew Muir in that job, MLAs have heard.
Mr Muir was urged to resign by the Ulster Farmers Union last month following controversy over the shooting of 51 cows in June.
The cattle were culled by Mr Muir’s department on land near Fivemiletown, following a court order which disqualified the herd owner from keeping animals.
But concern was raised by some political representatives and farmers about the public nature of the incident and questions have been posed about whether all options were exhausted before the cows were shot.
The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) said its members voted in a meeting that they “do not have confidence” in the independence of a review into the cattle cull set up by the minister.
The fallout also saw Mr Muir receive a threat that he would be shot.
On Monday Mr Muir told MLAs that “fundamentally an awful lot of what’s been happening over the last couple of weeks is not around the situation in Fivemiletown”.
“It’s the fact that some people have not wanted me in this position since the day and hour I took it up because I believe in the environment and climate action,” he said.
Mr Muir also quoted from a letter he had received from a person in the farming community which read: “This is just a very brief note to say how angry I am and how I have felt about the mainly politically motivated and misguided pile on there has been against you and your department over the last few weeks.
“Those organisations and parties involved should be ashamed.”
During question time for his department in the Assembly, Mr Muir said that he and his officials continue to engage “directly and regularly” with the farming community and their representative bodies.
“I recognise and share concerns in relation to the operation at Fivemiletown, that’s why I commissioned an independent external review of the department’s implementation of the court deprivation order in order to ensure there is a transparent evidence based assessment of the planning, decision making and implementation of that operation,” he said.
He added that he recognises “significant challenges and opportunities” facing farmers, and remains committed to listening to farmers and their representatives.
Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew asked whether he would publish the independent review into the incident at Fivemiletown, Mr Muir said: “I can give the Member that assurance”, adding: “It’s important that we look at all issues in relation to this”.
“As you know and many people do know but fail to recognise publicly, this operation at Fivemiletown was neither authorised nor directed by me,” Mr Muir said.
“I ordered an independent external review around that and I am committed to full transparency in relation to it.
“If mistakes have been made by officials they must be identified and lessons must be learnt.”
DUP MLA Harry Harvey put to Mr Muir that farmers “have no confidence in you or your department”, describing a “damning indictment”, and asked whether he can win that confidence back or “step aside for someone else who will”.
Mr Muir responded saying the DUP owed farmers an apology after a succession of agriculture ministers from that party and their legacy.
“The people who deserve an apology to farmers is the DUP that needs to be offering it,” he said.
“Look at the legacy that I inherited – very little action in relation to TB, acting unlawfully in relation to ammonia, treating Northern Ireland as an environmental sacrifice zone.
“The situation the DUP left for me to inherit and was a disgrace, and you should be ashamed.”
