A Member of Parliament for Upper Bann has claimed that a cull of cattle carried out in Co. Tyrone in late June is one of the biggest scandals "ever faced" by Northern Ireland's Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).

The comments from the Democratic Unionist Party's (DUP's) Carla Lockhart come as fallout continues after 51 cattle were shot at a farm near Fivemiletown, Co. Tyrone on June 29.

DAERA has confirmed that the operation was conducted "to execute a court deprivation order on a herd belonging to a disqualified keeper, in respect of animal welfare offences".

Lockhart claimed that this operation was "barbaric" and that it was "one of the biggest scandals the department has ever faced".

She welcomed confirmation from DAERA Minister Andrew Muir that an external review is set to take place, but is "seeking assurances and validity that it will be transparent and totally independent".

"Minister Andrew Muir has a very serious issue on his hands, and a lot of important questions remain unanswered. We don’t need a review to know that what happened is very alarming and wrong," Lockhart said.

The DUP politician, who is the party's spokesperson on agriculture, added: "The situation cannot be resolved through carefully worded statements or a ‘lesson learned’ internal review.

"We need a full, truly independent public inquiry into what happened, who authorised it, how it was allowed to happen and who must ultimately be held accountable," she said.

"I have written to DAERA requesting the terms of reference for the review, and also seeking a meeting with Minister Andrew Muir.

"This has turned the public spotlight on Northern Ireland agriculture for all the wrong reasons, and could potentially have wider and deeply damaging repercussions for the entire agri-food sector," she warned.

While Lockhart acknowledged that the court order which led to the cull had to be enforced, she said that the real question is over how it was carried out.

"The footage and eyewitness accounts that have emerged since the incident, have left many people shocked, distressed and deeply concerned," she said.

"There is a widespread belief that if any individual or private organisation had carried out an operation in this manner, they would now be the subject of a major investigation.

"People are demanding honesty, accountability and full transparency. They want to know who authorised this operation, why these methods were used, whether alternative options were properly considered and what safeguards will now be put in place to ensure nothing like this will ever happen again," Lockhart said.

She added: "It is now up to Minister Andrew Muir and DAERA to provide the answers the public deserve, restore confidence in the department and ensure that this catastrophe is never repeated."