A Gozitan farmer involved in a legal battle to save his 435 sheep from being culled has been fined almost €1.7 million for failing to register them, The Sunday Times of Malta has learnt.

Gianni Attard received a letter from Veterinary Department director general Anthony Gruppetta saying that he had breached several regulations by not registering his sheep and was fined €11,646 for every animal, amounting to a total of more than €5 million.

However, he was told that if he replied to the letter within 30 days admitting to the accusations, he would instead pay one-third of the maximum fine – €3,884 per animal, amounting to €1,689,540.

Government and vets have no idea what they are doing

Mr Attard made headlines last November when he filed an injunction to stop the veterinary services from culling more of his sheep after 216 had already been put down while he was being held under arrest at the Victoria police station.

He told the magistrate presiding over his case last week that the culled sheep, most of which were pregnant and in their prime, were worth up to €520,000.

The case, which will determine whether the authorities can proceed with culling the rest of the herd, is still pending. Unregistered animals are automatically presumed sick, although Mr Attard insists his sheep are healthy.

His remaining sheep are now confined to his farm in Għarb and are under the surveillance of two police officers 24 hours a day. This round-the-clock security has so far cost taxpayers in excess of €80,000.

Mr Attard told the court he had bought 60 or 70 sheep in 2010 when they were three days old.

He had exchanged them for hay because the owner of the registered sheep did not want cash.

Since then, the sheep multiplied and the herd grew considerably.

Mr Attard also insisted he had been telling the authorities since July 2010 to register the sheep and tag them.

In the letter he received last week from Dr Gruppetta, Mr Attard was told that during an inspection on November 2 in his Għarb farm, he was found in possession of 435 unregistered sheep, in breach of various articles of the Veterinary Services Act and also EU regulations.

When contacted, Dr Gruppetta confirmed that the letter had been sent but refused to answer any more questions on the specific case which, he claimed, was sub judice.

Sources close to the department said that the fine was an administrative procedure used when animals were not registered.

The department is maintaining that any animal not registered with the department was automatically presumed to be sick because its roots could not be traced. This constitutes a public health hazard, it insists. The department is also saying that Mr Attard had not contested the fact that the sheep were not registered.

When contacted, Mr Attard told The Sunday Times of Malta that he intended to contest the fine, mainly on the basis that he had been telling the authorities to tag his sheep since they were barely six months old.

“The veterinary services and the Government have no idea what they are doing,” he said.