A TD says she “has concerns” over the dropping of charges against a Monaghan farmer after a letter was sent by Minister Heather Humphreys to the Department of Agriculture.
Brian Wright of Killygorman was facing animal cruelty charges alleged to have take place on his farm in 2017.
He was due to appear in Monaghan District Court in February of this year but the charges were withdrawn shortly after a letter about the case was received by the Department of Agriculture’s Secretary General.
That letter was sent by local Minister Heather Humphreys.
The Sunday Times reported yesterday a protected disclosure has been made by a whistleblower involved in the case within the Department, raising issues with how it was handled.
In a statement to Northern Sound News today, a Spokesperson for Minister Humphreys said she received a letter from a constituent, which she passed on to the appropriate Department, saying she was not in a position, nor was it her role, to investigate the concerns raised” in it.
The Department of Agriculture has previously said that no political representations were made in the case.
However, speaking on The Wider View today, Social Democrats Co-Leader Catherine Murphy said there are questions to be answered:
