Pakistan resumes culling of Australian sheep
20 October, 2012
KARACHI: Pakistan resumed culling Australian sheep on Friday after the importer withdrew a legal challenge to government claims they are diseased and despite tests showing the animals are fit for human consumption, officials said. A court in Karachi last month halted the culling of 21,000 Australian sheep after 7,600 of the animals had already been killed in a dispute over whether or not they were sick. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, who heads the city's veterinary services, told AFP that authorities had resumed culling the 11,300 sheep on Friday on orders from the government. "So far, we have culled over 1,500 sheep since this morning. It could take two or three days to complete," he said. A spokesman said the Australian High Commission in Islamabad was shocked by the move. "We're surprised, we're shocked by what is apparently the resumption of the culling and we're trying to find out what is happening," he told AFP. End.
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