Tortured cattle - Five years of animal welfare scandal - judicial investigation continues
The legal processing of the Allgäu Animal Welfare Scandal is still not completed after five years. Two proceedings are still planned at the Memmingen District Court. One of these proceedings is scheduled to begin on November 6th, according to a court spokesperson.
This proceeding is against three farmers, a father and his two sons. They are accused of not having treated 32 sick cows by veterinarians. Numerous violations of the Animal Welfare Act are alleged against the men.
Five years ago, the police established a special commission
The farm of the three accused is located in Bad Grönenbach in the Unterallgäu, where the animal welfare scandal began exactly five years ago. An animal welfare organization had then published a video that was supposed to show animal cruelty from a large farm. The organization "Soko Tierschutz" had made the case public on July 9, 2019. In the wake of this, investigations were conducted against those responsible for several farms and there were three major criminal proceedings. The police had set up a special commission with almost 30 police officers and policewomen for the investigation.
In the November planned proceeding, the farmers are accused of letting their cows suffer in order to save money on veterinary costs. More than half of the animals had to be slaughtered or euthanized according to investigators, some sick cows had already died.
The proceeding had already begun once and had to be postponed a year ago for scheduling reasons. At that time, the accused father had rejected the accusations in court. He had stated, "I think we do a lot for our animals." For the new proceeding, a total of 20 trial days are planned until the end of February 2025.
Another proceeding against four suspects is still pending, but there is currently no date for it. The accused are two farmers and two employees. In this proceeding, it is alleged that 58 sick animals were not adequately veterinary treated.
This proceeding was also supposed to have taken place in the fall of 2023. At that time, the court separated the proceeding against four defendants due to conflicts of interest. Initially, only two employees of the farm, who had admitted the allegations, were sentenced to fines. These sentences have since become legally binding.
Furthermore, the judgment in the first major proceeding of the animal welfare scandal has become legally binding, after the Federal Court of Justice rejected the appeal of the two defendants, a father and his son. The Memmingen District Court had sentenced the then 25-year-old son to a prison sentence of two years and ten months, and the 68-year-old father received a two-year probation sentence. According to the judgment, they had mistreated their animals by ignoring prolonged pain of the cows.
- The Allgäu Animal Welfare Scandal, involving multiple farms in Lower Allgäu, has led to several criminal proceedings in Bavaria's courts, including Memmingen District Court.
- The accused in one of these proceedings, scheduled to commence on November 6th, are three farmers from Bad Grönenbach, a town in the Unterallgäu region.
- The farmers are accused of neglecting 32 sick cows, refusing veterinary treatment to save on costs, resulting in the suffering and death of many animals.
- The police, in response to an animal welfare organization's video exposing cruelty, had established a special commission of almost 30 officers for the investigation.
- Agriculture in the Allgäu region, known for its cows and cattle, has been under scrutiny following allegations of systematic cruelty towards animals.
- In a related proceeding, four suspects, including two farmers and two employees, are still awaiting trial for not adequately treating 58 sick animals.
- Reconditioning programs are crucial in these cases to improve farming practices and prevent future instances of animal mistreatment, ensuring justice for the animals and promoting responsible agriculture.
