The veterinary office discovered catastrophic conditions and dozens of dead cattle on a farm in Upper Bavaria. According to the public prosecutor’s office in Traunstein, some of the animals in the company in Rimsting in the district of Rosenheim had to stand up to their necks in liquid manure. “There is a suspicion that the farmer made himself punishable by neglecting to kill animals and tormenting animal abuse,” reported senior public prosecutor Rainer Vietze. Several media had reported on the case.
On Monday, the farm was searched because of the criminal investigation. This was preceded by an inspection by the veterinary office last week. It was found that a total of 96 cattle had been kept in conditions that were contrary to animal welfare. Two adult animals and 29 young cattle were found lying dead in the liquid manure. When the carcasses were inspected, two more dead animals were discovered, so that it is assumed that 33 cows have died so far.
“The animals showed different states of decomposition, were partially completely covered by the manure, lay on top of each other and showed signs of rat damage,” explained the senior public prosecutor. There is a suspicion that the death of the cattle was caused by the conditions in the barn and could have been prevented if they were kept correctly.
According to media reports, the cows that survived were now housed in other stalls by the authorities. In recent years there have been repeated reports of neglected cattle on farms in Bavaria. In the Allgäu in particular, the authorities had repeatedly discovered such conditions, and several farmers had already been convicted.