In a trial for violations of the animal protection law in a slaughterhouse in Bad Iburg near Osnabrück, the two accused veterinarians rejected the allegations.

His client was commissioned by the district of Osnabrück to inspect the slaughtered animals, the inspection of the delivered animals was only randomly carried out after consultation with the district, said the defense attorney of a veterinarian who is now 65 years old. The lawyer for his colleague, a 52-year-old veterinarian, joined the statement.

The public prosecutor's office accuses the two veterinarians of not having taken any action against animal cruelty as officially employed veterinarians at the slaughterhouse, which had been uncovered by videos by animal rights activists in 2018. You can see some sick and old animals that were no longer able to walk.

winches and stun guns

They were pulled out of the animal transporters with winches and with great pain. According to the indictment, stun guns were sometimes used to scare them away from the trailer. In some cases, dead animals that were delivered were said to have been given for slaughter.

In the accused cases, the two veterinarians were not present when the animals were delivered, their lawyers said. Both worked as freelance veterinarians and had a fixed-term contract with the district to inspect meat at the slaughterhouse. Because the small slaughterhouse slaughters a different number of animals every day, the veterinarians came to the company as needed. Even with animal deliveries in the early morning, the doctor was not there. The company was closed in autumn 2018 shortly after the allegations were published by the district.

Two district officials disagreed with the testimony of the two defendants. Without an assessment of the live animals delivered for slaughter, the animals should not have been allowed to be slaughtered in the first place, said the head of the veterinary service for the Osnabrück district. In principle, dead animals delivered should not be slaughtered. This was always a topic in training courses with the veterinarians employed by the district.

Not flashy

From the point of view of the supervisory authority, the slaughterhouse was also not conspicuous. When the editors of "Stern TV" reported with the video material in the district house in October 2018, his team fell from all clouds, he said.

The head of department at the veterinary office responsible for organizing the slaughter animal and meat inspections also said that a veterinarian not only had to examine the organs and meat of the slaughtered animal, but also the live animal upon delivery. If it was delivered at a time when there was no vet at the slaughterhouse, the vet should have been notified. He also emphasized that there had always been training courses on the subject. The slaughterhouse was checked every three months. There were no abnormalities.

So far, three continuation dates have been scheduled for the process. In the complex of proceedings, transporters, farmers and slaughterhouse employees were already accused. Penal orders or judgments have already been issued here.