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Shambo slaughter backed by court Shambo slaughter backed by court
(about 2 hours later)
The decision to block a slaughter notice served on Shambo the "sacred" temple bullock has been overturned by the Court of Appeal. The decision to block a slaughter notice served on Shambo the "sacred" temple bullock has been overturned.
The six-year-old animal, which is kept in a Carmarthenshire temple by Hindu monks, has tested positive for TB.The six-year-old animal, which is kept in a Carmarthenshire temple by Hindu monks, has tested positive for TB.
Last Monday, two assembly government orders for the bullock's slaughter was quashed by a high court judge. Last Monday, two assembly government orders for the bullock's slaughter were quashed by a high court judge.
But the assembly government's appeal has now been approved, which could spell the end for the animal. The west Wales community where Shambo lives said they were "devastated" by the slaughter decision and vowed to continue to find ways of saving him.
Last Monday, judge Gary Hickinbottom ruled that destroying Shambo, which is being kept at the Skanda Vale community in Llanpumsaint, would be unlawful. The community has fought a hard campaign since the TB test returned positive in May, saying they were guarding against Shambo infecting other animals.
He said two slaughter orders had failed to give enough weight to the rights of the monks. But they have faced opposition from many quarters, including farmers, who say the diseased animal provides a threat to the spread of TB among their herds.
But the assembly government has argued that slaughter eliminates all risk of TB being passed on. Considerable problem
A week ago, Judge Gary Hickinbottom ruled that destroying Shambo, which is being kept at the community in Llanpumsaint, would be unlawful.
He said two slaughter orders had failed to give enough weight to the rights of the monks. But on Monday the appeal court in London upheld the assembly government's appeal.
Lord Justice Pill, sitting with two judges who heard the case in Cardiff last week, said former rural affairs minister Jane Davidson acted lawfully when she refused to make an exception for Shambo as a sacred bull.
The judge said: "I have come to the conclusion that the minister was entitled to make the decision she did in regard to the very considerable problem presented by bovine TB.
Shambo is housed in a temple in the grounds of Skanda Vale
"The decision to eliminate the risk by slaughter and not to permit an exception to the slaughter policy was, in my judgment, justified.
He said the decision was justified even though Shambo's slaughter would be considered by the community as a sacrilegious act and "a very grave and serious interference with their religious rights".
But reacting to the decision, Swami Suryananda of the Skanda Vale Temple said the latest court decision seriously disregarded the principal tenets of the Hindu religion.
"We are devastated that an animal in our care might be taken away for slaughter, even though it hasn't yet been proven to be a threat to anyone.
"We have consistently asked for other tests to be done to verify if Shambo does have bovine TB.
'Uniform approach'
"It seems ridiculous to kill him and then carry out a post mortem to confirm if he does or does not have TB."
However, NFU Cymru president Dai Davies welcomed the decision, saying there must be "consistency and a uniform approach to upholding the law".
Mr Davies said: "As a farmer I have every sympathy with anyone who has to have their livestock slaughtered due to bovine TB, however TB must be eradicated and the disease control regime adhered to by all, we can't have exceptions to the rule."
Shadow Rural Affairs Minister Brynle Williams added: "It is regrettable that the bullock has to be culled, but no other conclusion could have been reached in the interests of animal health."