Agriculture - Authorities perform prescribed animal controls often not
In many districts in Sachsen-Anhalt, there is a lack of personnel to conduct the required number of animal inspections at businesses. Several districts informed the German Press Agency on inquiry that often fewer than the required ten percent of businesses were inspected in the past year. In addition to personnel shortages, some districts criticize increased bureaucracy or problems such as missing documents in livestock farms.
The issue is not only about the number of inspections but also about their intensity, as the Landkreis Stendal pointed out. Due to the numerous requirements in veterinary law, these inspections are very labor- and time-intensive, with their preparation, execution, and follow-up taking up a lot of time. In larger farms, the number of employees is often very low. On-site staff are often poorly German-speaking, frequently overwhelmed with animal care, and the farm managers in charge are usually not on site.
Dead pigs left in the pen
At the beginning of the month, there were reports of alleged violations of the Animal Welfare Act in a pig breeding farm in Kleindemsin in the Jerichower Land. Two weeks ago, the slaughterhouse permit was revoked from a pig farm in Eisleben. In February, allegations of animal cruelty against the farm became known. Images from an animal welfare organization showed, among other things, that decomposing pigs were still in the pen with the living pigs.
In Saxony-Anhalt, the Agriculture Ministry published a control ordinance last year, which, among other things, regulates the number of inspections. According to this, at least ten percent of businesses in the commercial pig farming sector should be inspected annually in the districts. At least five businesses should be inspected, the Landesverwaltungsamt stated. "Which businesses are then inspected depends on a risk assessment that ensures that, for example, businesses with a high violation risk are inspected more frequently," a spokesperson said. Similar regulations apply to other animal species.
Personnel shortages - with increasing tasks
However, several districts, including Jerichower Land, Burgenlandkreis, Wittenberg, Salzwedel, and Anhalt-Bitterfeld, stated that the required number could not be met or only for certain animal species. Above all, the regulatory inspections are no longer fully manageable due to personnel shortages, as the Landkreis Wittenberg stated. In addition, there have been increasing cases in the past of animal welfare and animal disease issues. There have been more reports of overburdened animal keepers or inappropriate animal husbandry. The Burgenlandkreis also reports an increasing number of justified animal welfare reports. This ties up personnel more.
Possible solution: Higher fees for inspections
The agricultural policy spokeswoman for the Greens in the state parliament, Dorothea Frederking, has been criticizing for a long time that animal welfare inspections are inadequate. It's not just about the raw number of inspections, but also about their quality and the way they're carried out. The focus is often on building requirements or paperwork rather than the animals themselves. Frederking advocates for looking more at the animals themselves. For this, a better financial endowment in the authorities is necessary. Farmers should be asked for higher fees for inspections, according to the Greens' demand.
- In response to the personnel shortages in animal inspections, several districts in Saxony-Anhalt, such as Jerichower Land and Burgenlandkreis, have struggled to meet the required minimum of 10% inspections in the commercial pig farming sector as outlined in the control ordinance.
- The lack of personnel in the Stendal District, like in other areas, has led to concerns about the intensity of inspections, as the numerous requirements in veterinary law make these inspections labor-intensive and time-consuming.
- The Burgenland district faces a growing number of justified animal welfare reports, which ties up personnel resources and adds to the challenge of conducting the required number of inspections on pig farms.
- The German Press Agency reported that some districts, including Wittenberg and Salzwedel in Saxony-Anhalt, criticized increased bureaucracy or problems such as missing documents in livestock farms, which further hinders the ability to conduct necessary inspections.
