Trial in Innsbruck

Neglected “pigsty”: acquittal for public health officer

The living conditions for the animals in the barn were obviously terrible.(Bild: zVg)

Serious allegations against a farmer (46) in the Tyrolean Ötztal: The man is said to have kept a large number of animals in wretched conditions and tortured them as a result. The official veterinarian (53) is said to have looked the other way. Now it came to trial.

"I was overwhelmed and mentally unwell," the Tyrolean farmer emphasized in court in Innsbruck. In January 2023, his entire livestock (cattle, yaks, pigs, sheep, goats) was taken from him - allegedly after years of abuse. The conditions in his stables were shocking, at least according to the photos.

The two defendants had to stand trial.(Bild: Stegmayr Markus, Krone KREATIV)

Accusations from the great cousin
"After my great-cousin started to press charges against me and wanted to destroy me, I had to go to a psychiatric ward," explained the defendant. This is probably why some of the neglect happened. "But the animals were fine," said the farmer.

A sheep with mange(Bild: zVg)

Psychiatric report to be obtained
His defense lawyer suggested that his client may have been insane during the time of the crime and requested a psychiatric report. The proceedings against the Tyrolean farmer were therefore adjourned indefinitely.

"No contributory negligence" on the part of the official veterinarian
The official veterinarian who, according to the indictment, is said to have ordered the removal of the animals too late, was acquitted. "There was no complicity", the judge argued in the verdict.