Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/652704
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 13 MARCH 2016 3 MATTHEW VELLA HUNDREDS of sheep born from the unlicensed Gozo herd owned by Ganni Attard – whose culling for public health reasons has been or- dered by a court of law – are believed to have dispersed into other herds or even been slaughtered illegally. Highly-placed sources close to the veterinary investigation have told MaltaToday that the government authorities believe as many as 900 sheep were born since 2012, when Attard had 216 of his sheep culled by the veterinary authority. That first culling left 300 animals in his herd, all of which are not regis- tered with the authorities. Since then, Attard has attempted to stop the culling and an Appeals Court recently upheld a previous ruling delivered by a magistrate, that paved the way for the remaining 300 animals to be culled. The culling was stopped when Attard secured a tem- porary stay of proceedings last Feb- ruary, until the Constitutional Court delivers its decision on his claim of an alleged breach of human rights. After the 2012 culling, which Attard claims to have cost him €520,000, the remnant herd of 300 stayed in his Gharb farm where two police officers stationed there had to ensure that none of the animals would be removed or that their pro- duce be sold. The 24-hour police surveillance has so far cost taxpayers more than €600,000. But the sources who spoke to Mal- taToday believe that the herd of 300 was still reproducing. "The last head count found 150 ew- es from the 300 sheep. If there were 150 ewes in 2012, they would have had as many as 300 lambs in 2013. And that cycle would repeat itself in 2014 and 2015. So the question is, where are all the new ewes and rams? One can speculate that they have been slaughtered elsewhere or even had their produce sold, one way or another," said the sources, who spoke to MaltaToday under condi- tion of anonymity. The same sources expressed doubts as to the efficacy of the Gozo police force, suggesting that police officers may not have been as alert as required to monitor any movements in and outside the farm. Although there is no smoking gun of any wrongdoing, MaltaToday was told by the sources privy to the investigation that tools used in the slaughter of sheep – namely hooks and sickles – were found on Attard's farm, and that dogs on the farm could have been fed the pulverised ram meat. Attard has vehemently contested the court order because none of the sheep culled by the Veterinary Ser- vices Department in 2012 was found to be sick, according to veterinary surgeon Frank Galea, whose team analysed 152 samples from the brain stems of the culled sheep. None tested positive for Mad Cow Disease, which is the main disease they are tested for. Originally, Magistrate Josette Demicoli had ruled that the cull- ing was justified to safeguard public health, saying that the veterinary au- thorities' actions were within the law because of an automatic suspicion that the unregistered animals were ill. "The reason these sheep have to be culled is because none of them is registered and that means that none of their product or meat – if infected and causes sickness in humans or in other animals – will be able to be traced back to the original source of the problem," the sources who spoke to MaltaToday said. In the British inquiry into Mad Cow Disease, cattle were fed the remains of other cattle in the form of meat and bone meal which had not been sufficiently treated at high temperatures and still had an infec- tious agent from a contamination from sheep with scrapie, which had been processed in the same slaugh- terhouse. During the E. coli outbreak in Germany of 2011, the country had incorrectly linked the outbreak to cucumbers imported from Spain. Only in June 2011 did Germany find that the seeds of organic fenugreek imported from Egypt were likely the source of the outbreak. In all, 3,950 people were affected and 53 died, 51 of whom were in Germany. News Fears that Gozo sheep reproduced and dispersed into other herds Explainer • Registering livestock and food safety Why is registering sheep important? Registering livestock usually takes place within the first few months after birth, when the animal is tagged with a non- removable marker with a serial number and barcode to identify it. Registering creates a lifetime record of each animal and what happens to their products – when they were collected, how they are stored and who they are sold to. This creates a chain of traceability that can help determine where products came from if they are found to be contaminated. Without a register, it is exceedingly difficult to narrow down which farm the products came from, putting more people at risk of disease until the culprit is found. Registering also means that the farm itself is subject to scrutiny, with regard to animal health and welfare, product handling, hygiene and so on. What kind of diseases can be spread through dairy products made from sheep's milk? Five of the most common diseases are Campylobacteriosis, Johne's disease, Toxoplasmosis, Brucellosis and Listeriosis, which can be transmitted to consumers of contaminated milk products. Other zoonotic diseases (i.e. that are transmissible between animals and humans) that affect sheep are mostly transmitted through regular contact with the animals – farm workers, veterinarians and others who work with livestock are most at risk for contracting these diseases. How can we tell whether animals are sick? Four of these five diseases – Campylobacteriosis, Johne's disease, Toxoplasmosis, and Brucellosis – can be tested for by analyzing a blood sample from the animal. In the case of Johne's disease, contamination can also be detected by analyzing the milk products themselves. Listeriosis however does not show up on a blood test. The only way to determine if an animal has this bacterial disease is to take a sample of cerebro-spinal fluid (which surrounds the brain and spinal cord) or, more commonly, a brain tissue sample, which cannot be done while the animal is still alive. What is Listeriosis? Listeriosis is caused by the Listeria monocytogenes bacterium. This can be found in unpasteurized milk and milk products. Infected individuals do not always show symptoms but when they do, these can either be very mild or very serious. The American Centre for Diseases Control has this to say about the disease: "In older adults and people with immunocompromising conditions, septicemia and meningitis are the most common clinical presentations. Pregnant women may experience a fever and other non-specific symptoms, such as fatigue and aches, followed by fetal loss or bacteremia and meningitis in their newborns. Immunocompetent people may experience acute febrile gastroenteritis or no symptoms." Ganni Attard is fighting a court's order to cull his sheep