A round-the-clock police watch of 300 sheep grazing in a farm on the outskirts of Għarb has already cost taxpayers close to €80,000 in police salaries and overtime, Times of Malta has learnt.
The cost of the sheep surveillance ran up over the past 10 months as police officers on different shifts were assigned to cover the operation day and night.
Government sources said the police were there to make sure the sheep or any of their products were not traded pending the outcome of a legal issue.
The case dates back to November when the court, presided over by Magistrate Josette Demicoli, ordered the Government’s Veterinary Services Department to halt the culling of the unregistered sheep.
It was upholding a request by farmer Ġianni Attard to stop the culling until a legal point was resolved on whether the non-registration of sheep automatically meant the animals were sick and not good for consumption.
Gozitan residents who reported the ‘mysterious’ police presence next to the sheep described the situation as a “clear example of waste of public money and human resources”.
“It’s unbelievable that our police force is being used to watch over sheep,” a farmer who tills land close to the sheep farm told this newspaper.
“The officers themselves have been complaining about this waste of time but they can’t do anything – they are just obeying orders from their superiors,” another farmer said.
Visiting the site last week, Times of Malta observed two police officers in full uniform strolling down the road in front of the farm. The journalist’s presence was questioned by one of the officers, who warned against entering the farm to take photos as this was private property.
It’s unbelievable that our police force is being used to watch over sheep
Sources close to Mr Attard said that the police presence had made an appearance outside the farm after the court’s interim decision 10 months ago.
Asked when the court was expected to finally resolve the outstanding legal question, the sources said there was no indication.
“The sheep will probably die before the court decides on the next step,” one source said sarcastically.
On the other hand, government sources justified the presence of the police as “necessary to make sure the animals or any of their products are not traded if there is no certainty about their origin”.
In court, the Veterinary Services Department had argued that any unregistered animal was automatically presumed to be sick and considered as a health hazard if its origin could not be traced.
At the same time the department admitted that no tests were carried out on the unregistered animals to determine whether they were actually sick.
An Animal Rights Parliamentary Secretariat spokesman declined to comment on the situation.
“In view of the fact that there is a pending court case, we cannot reply to any questions pending the outcome of the case,” the spokesman said.