Gozitan shepherd Gianni Attard has written to Joseph Muscat over the issue of the culling of his sheep, which he said had the Prime Minister's blessing.
In the letter, written by Mr Attard's lawyers, Gianni Attard asked how can anyone suspect that his animals were sick or a hazard, based solely on the fact that these are not registered.
"The Department cannot just suspect that the rest of the sheep are sick, especially as after more than 200 sheep were killed, the tests showed they were, in fact, healthy."
Also, as the lawyers explained, although the law states that animals carrying a disease should be put down, it does not say that unregistered animals should be culled. "This does not exist in the Maltese laws and neither in European Union Directives."
Mr Attard also referred to what Joseph Muscat said during a speech in Zejtun last Sunday when he made reference to the fact that the tests can only be carried out after the animal is killed.
"So, if this tests cannot occur on any living animal, how is possible to guarantee that every animal on the island is not carrying some form of disease?" the Gozitan farmer asked.
He said he feels utterly disgusted by the Prime Minister basing his statement only on what the Veterinary Doctor said.
Attard said that the doctor's advice does not make sense but the Prime Minister is still basing his argument on it.
"After killing the first 216 sheep, they now want to kill the rest of the sheep but this time, they have your blessing," he told Dr Muscat.
Gianni Attard will appear in front of the Constitutional Court later in March. His lawyers are claiming a breach in human rights.
Conflicting with Gianni Attard's claim is Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Robert Andrea Balbo, who wrote that the case for prohibitory injunction to stop the sheep culling was concluded in favour of the Department.
In article published on today's back page, Dr Balbo states that the illegal sheep of unknown origin together with the large amount of cheeselets present on farm clearly posed an evident threat to public safety as they were produced in "unhygienic conditions and without the basic bio-security measures".
from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/1TRuKzt
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