Dozens of cows die of hunger
Eight years ago, One Voice discovered dozens of cows dying of hunger and thirst on a property owned by the "B. brothers." Following a seven year legal battle, they were eventually tried in court on the 5th of February this year.
Eight years ago, One Voice discovered dozens of cows dying of hunger and thirst on a property owned by the “B. brothers.” Following a seven year legal battle, they were eventually tried in court on the 5th of February this year.
The case
The B brothers may have been isolated from society, but were certainly not poor. According to psychiatric reports, they are mentally stable and able to be held responsible for their own actions, yet they were clearly disinterested in the wellbeing of their animals, who they were keeping solely to gain EU subsidies. They were even unable to recall the size of their herd, which according to investigators, could be estimated between 700-800 animals on 400-500 hectares of land. It was clear they placed no value on the lives of these beings, leaving them to die in excruciating pain, without food or water, when there was hay available. Neighbours testified to having heard their cries. In June and December of 2008, several corpses were discovered. But in February 2009, thirty-seven cows were found dead in the freezing cold, some hidden under tarpaulins. Identification was made possible using a helicopter. Twenty-six survivors were rescued from the brink of death and transferred to our partner, OABA.
The evidence
Farmers receive government subsidies for living animals, but also when they die. In 2007, the B brothers received 175,000 euros in bonuses and CAP subsidies (totaling a quarter of the region’s grants) for essentially leaving their livestock to perish. The discovery of bones on the property indicated that this neglect had been going on for some time. The investigating judge also revealed insufficient account charges, indicating that the brothers were embezzling the funds they received from the government to care for their animals. Additionally, the police discovered that some animal passports had “gone missing.”
For an exemplary judgment!
One Voice acted as civil prosecutors in the April 2009 proceedings, in which the brothers were charged for serious abuse, cruelty to domestic animals, and for detaining corpses. They lost the first trial in October 2009, as well as the appeal in September 2010. In June 2012 One Voice again took them to court in a new trial requesting that the brothers be banned from owning animals, which they achieved accompanied by a prison sentence for each of them and a fine. But the case was overruled. One Voice then appealed and managed overturn the judgement, invalidating any attempts to resubmit the facts of the case and publishing the arrests in the criminal records and information bulletin. However, the appeal court announced their final judgement in favour of the brothers, so we are now fighting a civil case instead.
