Until recently, 20 police officers had been taking turns to monitor the sheep around the clock throughout the year from a modern sentry box that is even equipped with an AC.

Sources had told the Times of Malta that the herd, now as big as 100 sheep, was just composed of ewes, as the rams were separated through a court order. In 2016, the herdsman had filed an appeal against the magistrate decision to execute the remaining unregistered sheep and was denied.

The Court of Appeal confirmed the decision after ruling that Attard had failed to register his herd and the court then went on to decree the slaughter of 216 sheep in 2012 was justified on the grounds of safeguarding public health.

Courts also said that despite not having tested the sheep initially, suspicion enough was viable reasoning to cull the assumed-hazardous animals.

The Veterinary Services Department argued in court that any unregistered livestock is a presumed health hazard if origins cannot be traced. However, the fate of the remaining sheep falls to the pending outcomes of a case Attard has against the State.

Attard claims the authorities decision to raid the farm and proceed with the cull in his absence had breached his fundamental human rights. He also goes on to argue that his right to a fair trial was violated since the sheep were slaughtered without his side of the story.

Video via Malta Independent

The case is reportedly still in processing but has reached a stage where the Attorney General and VSD must now produce their own evidence in reaction to Attard’s counterclaims.

The case is due to resume in October, with Attard insisting through his lawyer that he had filed an application to register his sheep in 2010.

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