More than 50 cattle were shot in the fields of a farm in Co TyronePolice were unable to respond as gunfire rang out over 12 hours during a mass shooting of animals on a farm in Co Tyrone, according to a government minister. Martin Beattie (59) of Shantonagh Road, Fivemiletown, was sentenced in June after earlier pleading guilty to 21 offences linked to animal welfare, animal by-products and veterinary medicines legislation. The mass slaughter across several fields was witnessed by people who gathered to watch from nearby roads. Four previous culls of animals from the farm were carried out. “While this arose from an animal welfare incident, serious questions remain about the manner in which DAERA carried out the operation,” Ms Erskine said.