Cruelty to animals Zurich Oberland farmer has his court case thrown out
The 48-year-old farmer from the Zurich Oberland region, who had to stand trial on Thursday, skipped the trial. He stayed away from the hearing without giving a reason. He will now be summoned again on another day.
20.06.2024, 04:31
20.06.2024, 09:08
SDA
The reason for the trial is the catastrophic conditions on his farm. The indictment lists over 80 cases in which the farmer is said to have neglected calves and cows.
The veterinary office inspected the farm six times between 2020 and 2022 - and each time, the list of animal welfare violations grew longer. There were lame cows with overlong claws, trembling, dirty calves and emaciated young animals in the barn.
Animals euthanized immediately upon inspection
On more than one occasion, animals had to be euthanized immediately upon inspection in order not to prolong their suffering unnecessarily, according to the indictment. There was wet, moldy feed in the feed troughs, and in some cases there was also a lack of water.
In April 2022, the veterinary office finally had the farm partially cleared. This revealed that the Swiss man had also neglected the administration of his farm. On the day of the eviction, 76 animals were actually registered, but 89 were found.
Milk supply ban for hygiene reasons
The farm had already been subject to a so-called milk supply ban since December 2021 - for hygiene reasons. Until then, the farmer had also delivered milk from cows with diseased udders.
The public prosecutor's office is demanding a conditional prison sentence of 10 months and a fine of CHF 2,000 from the Uster district court. The farmer is to be sentenced for multiple counts of cruelty to animals.
He caused the animals pain and suffering through his inactivity and inadequate care, the prosecutor writes in her indictment. Due to the obvious abuses, he also breached his duties as a milk producer.
