Case Hefenhofen – public prosecutor speaks of animal cruelty and illegal meat trade – News


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The process in the Hefenhofen case starts at the Arbon district court – the main accused is an alleged animal abuser.

At the beginning of August 2017, animal rights activists had had enough. They waited four days in front of the suspected animal abuser’s farm, putting the canton of Thurgau under pressure. So that he acts. With a large contingent, the police finally intervened, sealed off the farm and took the horse breeder away from Hefenhofen.

Emaciated and neglected

At that time, the farmer had 93 horses and around 200 cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens and llamas on his farm. The animals were taken away. The army took care of the emaciated horses. The horses were later auctioned off.

Now, five and a half years later, the case is before the court. According to the indictment, the accused are accused of, among other things, multiple animal cruelty, multiple violations of the animal protection and animal disease laws and multiple endangering of life. According to the indictment, some of the criminally relevant acts date back to 2013.

The public prosecutor demands a prison sentence of six and a half years. In addition, the accused is to be sentenced to fines, fines and claims for damages and to bear the costs of the investigation and the proceedings. In total, this is over 100,000 francs. In another case, the federal court ruled in October 2020 that the horse dealer was no longer allowed to keep animals.

Prosecutors uncover illegal pork trade


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In the alleged animal cruelty case in Hefenhofen, two butchers also have to answer in court. In the indictment, they are accused of multiple animal cruelty, multiple offenses against the Animal Diseases Act and commercial violations of the Foodstuffs Act.

The senior boss of a butcher’s shop is said to have smuggled pigs with injuries such as fractures – so-called carers – past the veterinary animal control. They were then taken to Hefenhofen. According to the indictment, the butcher bought the pigs fattened there from the alleged animal abuser and sold the meat to his customers. His son tolerated the procedure.

The public prosecutor’s office is demanding conditional prison sentences of twelve and nine months, respectively, for the two butchers and compensation claims of CHF 52,000 each.

The illegal meat trade will be tried on the first day of the trial on March 1, 2023.

The evacuation of the courtyard in August 2017 in Hefenhofen was the culmination of a story that has occupied the canton of Thurgau since the 1990s. An inglorious chapter for the canton, as an external report showed.

Complex animal welfare case

After the escalation in August 2017, the Thurgau government set up a commission of inquiry, which presented a report in October 2018. He notes that criminal courts had previously described the conditions on the farm as intolerable several times. The Thurgau government then admitted mistakes, but refrained from personal consequences.

The way to the new Thurgau veterinary law


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In the summer of 2022, the Thurgau public prosecutor not only brought charges against the animal owner and alleged animal abuser, but shortly thereafter also against the then head of the Thurgau Veterinary Office and three of his employees.

Former canton vet also in court

The former Thurgau cantonal veterinarian should also be on trial this year. He is accused, among other things, of multiple abuses of office – partly through omission. For example, he is said to have failed to enforce a ban on keeping animals on the farm in Hefenhofen, which was ordered in 2013.

The presumption of innocence applies to all accused in the various proceedings. The main hearings in the Hefenhofen case will take place between March 1 and 21, 2023 at the Arbon District Court. The verdicts are expected on March 21.

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