A Dutch court has banned a farmer for life from keeping cattle after inspectors found shocking cases of animal neglect on his property.
Starving cattle, rotting corpses, and filthy living conditions left the judge visibly shaken during the trial
“The animals must have had a horrible life. I’ve never seen anything like this before,” the judge said. The man has repeatedly neglected cattle and water buffalo on his farm. By May 1, all 24 animals must be gone.
The court case followed a report in November 2023 about dead animals on the man’s property. Inspectors found dozens of severely neglected and starving animals.
The animals were standing in filth without food, water or shelter. Some were found dead or dying, including one cow who was almost fully submerged in manure.
Since January 2022, the man brought in 162 animals. Many of them died within two months. Despite this, he continued buying more.
In January 2024, authorities allowed him to keep a maximum of ten cattle under strict conditions. He soon had 24 again.
“You keep making the same mistake by neglecting the animals,” the public prosecutor said, comparing the man’s behavior to that of a gambling addict. “You cannot stop buying cattle.”
The man was sentenced to 240 hours of community service, or four months in prison if he fails to complete it, plus a suspended three-month prison sentence.
He may continue crop farming but is banned for life from keeping cattle. This unprecedented punishment in the Netherlands was made possible by new animal welfare laws that came into effect in January.
Support The Animal Reader – Daily Animal News
The Animal Reader is an independent animal news platform based in the Netherlands. We need your support to grow our platform that focuses on animal-related issues across the globe.
