Illegal Animal Carcass Dumping Near Family Home
Warning: this article contains distressing images.
When Adam Dunlop and his young family built their dream home in the Northern Irish countryside, they did not anticipate that the surrounding fields would become an illegal dumping ground for dead animals.
Along a ditch beside a secluded country road near their residence lie the decomposing carcasses of a large cow and several dead sheep piled atop one another.
Numerous dead farm animals, some contained in bags, are scattered across the area, located a few miles outside the village of Clogher.
In addition to animal remains, the site contains a significant amount of general waste, including burnt tyres, mattresses, and old kitchen appliances.
"It's the smell that hits you first, then I saw the dead cow, and it made me sick to my stomach,"Dunlop said.
"I'm very concerned, because I've a six-month-old daughter and we can't even take her for a walk up the road now because of this issue.
We wanted to live here because it's a lovely part of the countryside, and it's a shame on the people who are illegally dumping here, it's not on."
Official Response and Responsibility
A spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) expressed concern about the reported cases and confirmed that an active investigation is underway.
In Northern Ireland, the responsibility for recovering and disposing of fallen livestock lies with the animal owner if identifiable, or otherwise the owner of the land where the carcass is found.
For public land or highways, disposal responsibility falls to the local council if ownership cannot be determined.
Daera stated it has been unable to determine the current owner of the land in question.
A spokesperson for Fermanagh and Omagh Council said,
"As the investigation is ongoing, no further comment can be made at this stage."
Additional Animal Dumping Incidents in County Tyrone
These incidents are not isolated; other illegal animal carcass dumping has been reported in rural parts of County Tyrone.
Earlier this month, a seven-year-old boy was distressed after discovering several dead lambs in a bag while litter-picking with his family near the village of Cappagh.
Since then, further animal dumping reports have been made to authorities in the Clogher Valley area.
Ryan Thompson, a neighbour of the Dunlops who lives near the dumping site, commented on the situation.
"It's affecting the environment and everyone that lives around here, and it's been raised with the local authorities, but the animals are still there.
What I find particularly worrying is we don't know how or why these animals died, and the tags have been taken off so it's difficult to track down the owner."
Ongoing Illegal Dumping and Environmental Concerns
Thompson noted that illegal dumping has been occurring in the area for years but has increased recently.
"The animal carcasses element is more recent, and it's never been at this scale,"he said.
"There seems to be a lot of this around Tyrone at the minute, I'm not sure if it's because it's such a rural area and there's a belief it can be done unnoticed, but it can't go on."
Data obtained by NI reveals there were over 3,400 waste dumping incidents across Northern Ireland between 2020 and 2025. These include dumping of construction waste, car tyres, and asbestos.
More than 150 incidents involved animal dumping, predominantly in the Mid Ulster and Fermanagh and Omagh council areas.
A spokesperson for Mid Ulster Council described the dumping of animal carcasses as
"completely unacceptable."
Fermanagh and Omagh Council stated such dumping could have
"detrimental impacts on our natural environment and biodiversity and increases the risk of water pollution."
Within the last week, another sheep carcass was found dumped in a roadside field near a GAA club in Augher, close to Clogher.
Local Political Response
Kevin McElvogue, an independent councillor for the area, commented on the increasing reports of illegal dumping involving animal remains.
"Almost every week now I'm hearing about illegal dumping and a lot of the time now it involves animal remains.
Whoever is doing this has no respect for not only these poor animals, but also for the environment and the local community who have to live here."
"I think one aspect of this that particularly worries people is that we don't know how these animals died - was it natural causes, disease or something else?"
A Daera spokesperson emphasized the risks, stating,
"Animal by-products are a potential source of risk to public and animal health. Farmers have a legal obligation to dispose of animals in a safe and sustainable manner."
NI contacted the Ulster Farmers Union for comment but did not receive a response.
Broader Animal Welfare Issues in County Tyrone
Wider animal welfare concerns have also been raised in County Tyrone recently.
In March, a horse was euthanized after being found having seizures in a muddy field outside Dungannon.
Two additional dead horses were discovered near a wet ditch at the back of the same field.
Several animal carcasses were also found near the village of Cappagh.
Earlier this month, two abandoned pigs were shot by government officials in Armagh, with the bodies discovered by members of the public.
Animal Welfare Statistics and Legal Context
New figures highlight the extent of animal welfare issues in Northern Ireland.
Daera is responsible for the welfare of farmed animals, while councils oversee the welfare of domestic pets, including horses.
The latest published data shows that between 2022 and 2024, 1,128 animals were seized in Northern Ireland due to welfare concerns.
Additional figures obtained by NI indicate that over the past five years, there were 262 convictions in Northern Ireland courts for animal welfare or cruelty offences.
Nearly 75% of these convictions involved male offenders.
