GB News’s Northern Ireland Reporter Dougie Beattie has challenged Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir after branding him and GB News “unserious”, following his exposure of poor practices within a Government-run farm.
Responding to Mr Muir’s remarks, Dougie urged the minister to “actually come out and say that in the open without parliamentary privileges”.
Dougie declared: “Just so Mr Muir knows, I am 32 years in the media, in various rules inside that media.
“I am probably older than most journalists and I’ve been in the media longer than most of the journalists in Northern Ireland have actually been alive.”
In Dougie’s exclusive investigation, he revealed Happy Farms’s Hillsborough site receives huge amounts of taxpayers money and its borders are hand-picked by Andrew Muir.
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) policies are tested at the farm. Farmers are expected to implement their findings.
In May 2025, whistleblowers approached politicians from Mr Muir’s Alliance Party with concerns around animal welfare and pollution on the site. After months of silence, the whistleblowers approached Dougie Beattie and GB News.
Pressing Mr Muir on GB News’s investigation, Stormont member Timothy Gaston asked whether he will “continue to hide and shy away from scrutiny on this issue” or meet with Dougie.
Dougie Beattie has challenged Agricultural Minister Andrew Muir after branding him and GB News ‘unserious’
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GB NEWS / DAERA
Mr Muir told the Assembly: “I’m not hiding, I’m here. I’m here answering questions. I don’t know whether you were in the chamber earlier, but this was raised and I responded to it.
“There’s a trend in this place where people ask the same question again and again when it’s already been responded to. In relation to meeting GB News, I will meet serious journalists… GB News is neither that.”
Responding to the remarks on Britain’s Newsroom, Dougie questioned whether Mr Muir “picks and chooses” who he speaks to within the media.
Dougie said: “We are not serious journalists or a serious news station, that is his summing up of us. And of course what that brings in to focus here is does he actually pick who he speaks to and who he doesn’t?
Andrew Muir told the Assembly Dougie Beattie and GB News are ‘not serious’
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DAERA
“And that is a real, real problem for the Executive Information Service and the civil servants that were complicit in covering up this on the farms.”
Calling on Mr Muir to resign as a result of his response to Dougie’s investigation, Farmer David Irwin said the minister “simply has to go”.
He stated: “I think the minister simply has to resign at this point. There are so many unanswered questions – you have the fact that in your report, the whistleblower brought the footage to the Alliance Party, and Alliance obviously buried that footage.
“Did it make it Andrew Muir’s desk? I don’t know, that’s a question that needs answered. You have a confirmed pollution incident at Afbi… if that had been any other farmer, you’re going to be fined in court, you’re going to have your name plastered all over the newspapers and the website.”
Farmer David Irwin has called on Mr Muir to resign
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GB NEWS
Noting mainstream media companies have failed to cover the investigation and concerns for the farm, Mr Irwin said: “And then the other big question in Northern Ireland here is the media, because to date we have not had the BBC or ITV or any of the other local mainstream news channels ask any questions about this.
“So what is going on?”
The Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute declined an interview with GB News but have previously said they undertook an “extensive and thorough investigation” after concerns were raised, which included external inspections by DAERA, the Northern Irish Environment Agency and Red Tractor.
They stated they were “aware of many of these incidents when they originally occurred and were content that they had been previously dealt with appropriately” and they “strenuously refute any suggestions of poor farming practices”.
