Two farmers claim pigs unfed due to garnishee order

Two pig farmers yesterday claimed a garnishee order affecting payment for their pigs' slaughter meant they did not have any money to buy food for the pigs.

Emanuel and Mary Azzopardi filed a judicial protest in the Civil Court explaining that they managed two pig farms and reared over 1,000 pigs.

According to law, the pigs had to be slaughtered at the pig farmers' cooperative, which would then pay the farmers for the slaughtered animals.

The Azzopardis claimed they had entered into an agreement with Alfred Vella whereby they would purchase the latter's livestock.

But a dispute had arisen between the parties, and Vella had obtained the issue of a garnishee order against the Azzopardis in terms of which the cooperative was forbidden to make any payments to the Azzopardis.

As a result, the Azzopardis had to run two pig farms containing over 1,000 pigs without the means of earning any money from this work, and they claimed that their livelihood had been totally halted.

They had requested the court to revoke the garnishee order, but their application to this effect had not yet been decided upon by the courts.

The Azzopardis declared they had requested Vella to allow them to be paid enough money so as to be able to feed the pigs, but he had refused.

At present the pigs had not been fed for over two days, and this was detrimental to their health.

The Azzopardis added there was a strong probability that the pigs would die of hunger within the next two days.

This constituted cruelty to animals, claimed the Azzopardis, and they concluded their protest by holding Vella liable in damages.

Dr José Herrera signed the protest.