Authorities blamed for mishandling animal cruelty case
The government in canton Thurgau faces criticism for reaching wrong decisions and taking inadequate measures to deal with a horse breeder accused of animal cruelty in eastern Switzerland.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch with Keystone-SDA; ug
An independent investigation found that the cantonal government had failed to take the necessary steps to prevent cases of cruelty, known since 2007, on the animal farm. However, the cantonal government disagreed over the costs and whether the proposed measures were reasonable.
The report, presented on Wednesday, also says that the cantonal veterinary office and police disagreed over measures to stop the horse breeder, who had repeatedly threatened and even attacked officers and officials.
The dispute between the authorities and the man began in 1995 and escalated last year, when it made nationwide headlines and led to several criminal investigations.
Police carried out a massive operation against the farm and confiscated about 250 animals. Most of the horses were later auctioned off.
Animal rights groups had strongly criticised the cantonal government, saying a 2005 law states that animals must be adequately kept and fed, as well as given enough space to move around.
Publication of the official report was postponed several times.
More
More
Horse dealer arrested for cruelty to animals
This content was published on
Police in northeastern Switzerland have detained a horse dealer suspected of cruelty to animals and closed down his farm near Lake Constance.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Criticism mounts over animal cruelty case
This content was published on
Animal rights groups have slammed veterinary authorities for failing to prevent cases of animal cruelty, following the arrest of a horse breeder.
This content was published on
Police in northeastern Switzerland have detained a horse dealer suspected of cruelty to animals and closed down his farm near Lake Constance.
Veterinary authorities to make more surprise farm inspections
This content was published on
The new requirements should be implemented in early 2020, the veterinary office said in a press releaseExternal link. The goal is to detect cases of animal cruelty on Swiss farms more quickly, while wasting fewer resources on operations that show no signs of misconduct. In Switzerland, all farms must be subject to a basic inspection…
Initiative launched to end factory farming in Switzerland
This content was published on
Animal rights groups and environmental organisations launched a popular initiative to ban intensive, large-scale livestock farming on Tuesday.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.