Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon appointed a senior vet to a national board* despite an industrial tribunal finding that he engaged in “intimidating” and “patronising” actions towards a whistleblower who raised animal welfare concerns.
Heydon cited Robert Huey’s 12-year term as Northern Ireland chief veterinary officer when appointing him six days ago to the board of Horse Sport Ireland (HSI), the State-funded* national governing body for showjumping and equestrian sports.
Huey was heavily criticised in a 2021 ruling in a constructive dismissal case won by a Northern Civil Service whistleblower, who later received a £1.25 million (€1.44 million) settlement from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.
The tribunal found Huey’s actions were “detrimental” to Tamara Bronckaers, a Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs vet who was found to have been constructively dismissed after raising protected disclosure concerns. Such tribunals, based in Belfast, are independent judicial bodies that determine claims made on employment matters.
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“We found it to have been reasonable for the claimant to regard Mr Huey’s actions as intimidating, patronising and belittling and dismissive of her as a professional,” the ruling stated.
Heydon’s department declined to say whether the Minister was aware of the tribunal conclusions when appointing Huey to the HSI board.
Huey is understood to have been one of four candidates interviewed by officials from the Department of Agriculture and the Northern Ireland Sports Forum for the HSI board seat reserved for a Northern representative.
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The Department of Agriculture “engaged with” the Northern Ireland Sports Forum “to identify suitable candidates to represent Northern Ireland on the board of Horse Sport Ireland”, said Heydon’s department.
“The NISF [Northern Ireland Sports Forum] identified a list of potential candidates from their database of individuals who have expressed interest in joining the board of sport organisations. This list included Dr Huey and therefore he did not apply for the post.”
There was no substantive reply from Horse Sport Ireland or Huey in response to questions for each submitted to HSI’s office in Naas, Co Kildare.
“It would be inappropriate to comment on a ministerial appointment,” said a Horse Sport Ireland spokesman.
The tribunal found Huey, chief veterinary officer from 2013 to 2024, provided a “deeply unsatisfactory” account of an encounter with Bronckaers on November 1st, 2017.
“We do not find the account given by Mr Huey to be candid, reliable or full and we therefore draw an adverse inference in relation to the reason why this incident occurred.”
The ruling said Bronckaers had shown “that the fact that she raised protected disclosures was a material influence on the detrimental treatment of her by [another official] in particular and by Mr Huey in the encounter she had with him”.
It added: “The detrimental treatment was thus on grounds of the claimant having raised protected disclosures.”
*This article was amended on May 28th, 2026. An earlier version referred to the board of Horse Sport Ireland as being “a State board”. While the organisation receives funding from the State and is the national governing body for Equestrian Sport in Ireland, it is a company limited by guarantee and operationally independent.
