The terrible animal cruelty at the slaughterhouses in Aschaffenburg and in the district of Miltenberg have alarmed veterinarians and animal rights activists throughout Bavaria and Germany. They are particularly appalled that in both cases official veterinarians are obviously involved, who should have checked the slaughterhouses and put a stop to animal cruelty. The veterinarian and spokeswoman for the animal protection network “Bundling forces”, Claudia Preuß-Ueberschär, speaks of “criminal networks”, “failure of the existing control system” and “systemic problems”https://www.sueddeutsche.de/bayern/.”But at with so much criminal energy, control alone is not enough,” she says. “We need a cultural revolution in hiring and treating animals.”
As an immediate measure, the network calls for 24/7 video surveillance of the slaughterhouses from the delivery of the animals, their stalling, the drive to the slaughter and the slaughter itself. In order for machinations to be discovered quickly, the network demands that the veterinary authorities commit be able to view the recordings. Like the animal rights activist Friedrich Mülln, who uncovered the scandals with the “Soko Tierschutz”, Preuß-Ueberschär demands certification of all devices for restraining and stunning animals for slaughter in order to rule out incorrect stunning and torture for the cattle as far as possible.
In addition, checks would have to take place unannounced, and the veterinary offices should have more staff. Veterinarians who are involved in animal cruelty or fail to report it should have their license revoked. The network calls for a rotation procedure for official veterinarians at slaughterhouses in order to prevent interdependencies and nepotism.
Soko Tierschutz had made public that in the slaughterhouses in Aschaffenburg and Miltenberg cattle and pigs were being massively beaten with electric shockers and slaughtered without the prescribed anesthetic. Sick and seriously injured animals were also slaughtered. Both plants were closed after raids. The animal protection network “Bundle forces” is an association of large and small organizations. It includes, for example, Peta, Vier Pfoten and Pro Vieh.