It is the last act in the long drama about the zebu cattle from Hochbrück: Six years ago, the administrative court in Munich ruled that a pensioner was no longer allowed to keep her herd of 115 zebus on a pasture in the Garching district. And now the same court has found in a judgment this Wednesday that the woman must also pay for the costs incurred by the district office for housing the animals after the herd was confiscated.
After the keeper had to give up her flock, the animals were cared for from December 2017 to January 2018 on behalf of the district service office. The majority of the Zebus were ultimately sold to new owners for 10,000 euros. The remaining cattle were slaughtered. Cost: around 4800 euros. The proceeds totaling around 15,000 euros went to the pensioner. However, the district office paid around 31,600 euros for the one-month accommodation of the Zebu cattle as well as for feed and medical care. This leaves around 16,800 euros that the woman owes the district office.
The plaintiff pays an open bill of 8,000 euros in 20-euro installments
Although she challenged the payment notice and filed a lawsuit against the Free State of Bavaria, she and her lawyer did not appear at the hearing on Wednesday before the administrative court. Accordingly, the appointment before the 23rd Chamber was quickly completed. The presiding judge, Dietmar Wolff, found that the plaintiff was “effectively summoned” as of November 1 of this year, but did not appear. The representative of the Munich district office reported that the pensioner also owed the authority 8,000 euros for the construction of a tent to house her Zebu cattle. The plaintiff pays the amount in monthly installments of 20 euros. The representative of the authorities made it clear that the approximately 16,800 euros still to be paid would not be waived. At best, a deferral would be an option. It is unclear whether the pensioner will be able to pay the outstanding amount. The taxpayer may have to pay for it, judge Wolff suspected.
The dispute between the district office and the woman began in 2006. The pensioner had to look for new quarters for her zebu after a lost inheritance dispute. At the end of 2017, she found a pasture near the Garching-Hochbrück shooting range. But it didn’t take long for the district office to tell her that the pasture was far too small. Since the animals, which actually live in a subtropical climate, have no way of sheltering, the area is unsuitable. Since the owner did not meet the demand for the erection of shelters in time, the veterinary office had tents erected by the Technical Relief Organization in January 2016 to protect the animals. According to documents from the veterinary office, there was a blanket of snow on the pasture at the time. It remains to be seen whether the hearing before the administrative court this Wednesday was really the “very last act” in a series of negotiations in this matter, as Judge Wolff said. The pensioner can appeal against the judgment.