Zurich farmer faces court over animal cruelty charges

A 48-year-old farmer must appear in court this Thursday, 20 June 2024, to answer for catastrophic conditions on his farm.

The indictment lists over 80 cases in which the farmer allegedly neglected calves and cows. The public prosecutor's office is demanding a suspended prison sentence.

The veterinary office inspected the farm six times between 2020 and 2022 — and each time, the list of animal welfare violations grew longer. In the barn stood lame cows with overgrown hooves, shivering, dirt-covered calves, and emaciated young animals.

On more than one occasion, animals had to be euthanised on the spot during inspections to avoid prolonging their suffering unnecessarily, according to the indictment. The feed racks contained wet, mouldy feed, and in some cases water was also lacking.

Veterinary office intervenes

In April 2022, the authority finally ordered a partial evacuation of the farm. This revealed that the Swiss farmer had also neglected the administration of his farm.

On the day of the evacuation, 76 animals were officially registered at the farm. However, a considerable number of them were no longer traceable. In their place, there were several cows that had not been registered. In total, 89 animals were present on the farm.

Since December 2021, the farm had been subject to a so-called milk delivery ban — for hygiene reasons. Up until that point, the farmer had also been delivering milk from cows with diseased udders.

Public prosecutor demands punishment

The public prosecutor's office is seeking a suspended prison sentence of 10 months and a fine of 2,000 Swiss francs before the district court of Uster. The farmer is to be convicted of, among other things, multiple counts of animal cruelty.

In her indictment, the prosecutor writes that he caused the animals pain and suffering through his inaction and inadequate care. Due to the evident deficiencies, he also violated his duties as a milk producer.