Video released on Tuesday shows dying sheep, cattle in feces, animals decomposing in the barn and bodies in bins in front of the building. The association against animal factories (VGT) has filed a complaint with the St. Pölten district authority. In a broadcast on the occasion of a protest rally in front of the company, clarification and a ban on keeping animals were demanded.
According to the broadcast, more than 1,000 lambs, sheep, kids, goats and cattle are kept on the farm. “The conditions are abominable, the animal suffering is immense,” said the VGT. The legally banned fully slatted floor housing of lambs and cattle, which had to “live, lie and sleep in ankle-deep faecal lakes of excrement and urine”, was criticized. Already in 2013, the VGT filed a complaint against the company and demanded a ban on keeping animals.
defects confirmed
According to ORF Lower Austria, the deputy district captain of the St. Pölten district, Christian Pehofer, confirmed the display and the grievances in the company. Last Friday, two official veterinarians accompanied by the police were on the spot to take initial and immediate measures. Sick animals were treated accordingly and those that could no longer be saved were euthanized. In addition, the manure was removed. The district authority is now examining the initiation of administrative penal proceedings and measures under the Animal Welfare Act – this could range from a notice of rectification of defects to a ban on keeping animals.
Owner admitted allegations
“Yes, there are things that are not in order and all allegations are being examined,” was quoted by Landesrat Gottfried Waldhäusl (FPÖ) from ORF Lower Austria. You work “in the interest of everyone and in the interest of animal welfare” together with the owner to find a solution. The owner said the VGT’s allegations were true “to a certain extent,” according to the report.
SPÖ animal protection spokesman Dietmar Keck was appalled by the conditions in the company and demanded in a broadcast: “The cruelty to animals must have immediate criminal consequences, the animals must be saved.” Animal carcass recycling would have to sound the alarm and the company would have to be checked if it disposed of an above-average amount, according to the National Council member’s proposal.
Source: Nachrichten
