After a scandal involving massive animal welfare violations, the city of Aschaffenburg wants to terminate the lease agreement with a slaughterhouse operator without notice. The city council decided this on Monday evening, a city spokeswoman said on Tuesday and confirmed media reports. If the operator does not respond, the city will have to file an eviction lawsuit through civil law.
The slaughterhouse partially resumed work last week. The company was forcibly closed in July due to possible violations of the Animal Welfare Act and had to fulfill numerous requirements. Since then, fattening pigs can be killed there again, with the exception of piglets and sows.
The company had to close after the animal protection organization “Soko Tierschutz” published disturbing video footage. These showed employees treating pigs and cattle with electric shockers and obviously dismantling living animals.
Since then, the public prosecutor’s office has been investigating a double-digit number of people – including an official veterinarian who is said to have announced a check date to the slaughterhouse in advance. A shareholder and a business partner of the slaughterhouse are also being investigated.