Sheep culling decision adjourned

17 Oct 2012, 10:31 pm   -   Source: AAP

A court in Pakistan has adjourned its decision about the fate of thousands of Australian sheep due to be slaughtered on health grounds.

The fate of thousands of Australian sheep hangs in the balance, with a Pakistani court deferring a decision on whether or not to cull them.

More than 7000 sheep from a shipment of more than 20,000 rejected in Bahrain were culled en masse in Pakistan last month, sparking outrage in Australia.

The Australian exporters have repeatedly insisted the animals were in good health and fit for human consumption, rejecting claims by Pakistani authorities they were infected with salmonella, anthrax and foot-and-mouth disease.

The rejected sheep had their throats slit, or were stabbed and clubbed to death - and some were thrown into trenches alive - while a further 3000 reportedly remain unaccounted for.

The cull, ordered by the Sindh Livestock Department, was halted after Perth-based exporter Wellard and Pakistani importer PK Livestock secured a Pakistani High Court injunction.

A final decision on the fate of the remaining animals was due on Wednesday. However, the Sindh High Court in Karachi adjourned the hearing and will reconvene on Thursday.

It has not given any indication of when the decision will be handed down.

Until it is, the culling has been halted and the companies given unhindered access to their sheep.

Samples from 102 animals at risk of being killed on health grounds have been submitted to the court.

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has told a Senate committee the tests on the sheep returned negative for a range of diseases.

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