Livestock farmer Gianni Attard holding a picture of his sheep and another picture of Animal Rights Commissioner Emmanuel Buhagiar, making the point that culling his sheep would amount to animal cruelty.

Taxpayers have so far paid more than €600,000 for three years of round-the-clock surveillance of a farm in Għarb where some 300 sheep await their death sentence, the Times of Malta has learnt.

The police are making sure the sheep and any of their products are not traded, due to fears they might be sick, pending the outcome of a drawn out legal battle. The sheep formed part of a larger flock before the authorities raided Ġianni Attard’s farm in November 2012 and culled 216 sheep while he was under arrest at the Victoria police station in connection with the animals’ registration.

The sheep that are still alive were spared the cull after Mr Attard filed an urgent case asking for an injunction to stop the Department of Veterinary Services from slaughtering more animals.

‘The culled animals were tested and none were sick’

The money spent on police salaries and overtime exceeds the cost of the culled animals, which was estimated at €520,000. The sheep had been tested and none of them were sick.

Sources said far less would have been spent had the authorities tested each sheep individually. Tests would have cost about half the amount, they said.

But the future of the sheep remains in the balance pending the outcome of an appeal Mr Attard filed against a magistrate’s decision to revoke an order stopping their slaughter. The case involving the sheep began when veterinarians raided Mr Attard’s farm to cull the unregistered animals.

Mr Attard has insisted in court that he had been telling the authorities since July 2010 to register the sheep and tag them.

Veterinary Services is arguing that any unregistered animal is automatically presumed to be sick

The matter has been the subject of a legal wrangle ever since, with the court being asked to rule on whether the non-registration of sheep automatically meant that the animals were sick and not good for consumption.

In court, the Veterinary Services Department is arguing that any unregistered animal is automatically presumed to be sick and considered as a health hazard if its origin cannot be traced.

In the meantime, Mr Attard is paying to keep his livestock alive, even through expensive medicines, without being able to cash in on their produce.

He has recently written to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Parliamentary Secretary for Animals Roderick Galdes requesting their intervention. Through his lawyer, Joshua Grech, Mr Attard is insisting that the Animal Welfare Act, which is being quoted in court, does not permit the culling.

Moreover, it is only the Director of Agriculture, and not the Director of Veterinary Services, who can order the cull based on suspicion of illness. “But without conducting any tests, how could anyone determine if they are sick?” he asked.

Mr Attard is insisting that criminal action ought to be taken against all the people involved in the culling of 216 of his sheep, charged with breaching laws on animal welfare. None of the letters have been answered.

matthew.xuereb@timesofmalta.com