Sheep Case Hearing to Replace Appeal

Lawyers for the owners of Vermont sheep suspected of having a neurological ailment similar to mad cow disease struck a deal with prosecutors in Burlington for a court hearing on the animals’ fate. Under the agreement, lawyers for the farmers will forgo a federal appeals case in return for a more detailed hearing in a lower court, said Tom Amidon, who represents a sheep farmer. Four sheep on Vermont farms near Warren tested positive last month for a disease that causes the neurological illness.