Overview

• The Greens filed motions to raise the maximum prison term for intentional animal cruelty from three to five years and to impose a six-month minimum sentence.
• They proposed creating dedicated animal-welfare prosecution divisions within Bavarian public prosecutors’ offices to ensure focused investigations and legal expertise.
• The reform push follows undercover footage by Soko Tierschutz and a criminal complaint filed by the KBLV that exposed severe neglect at an Unterallgäu pig farm.
• Critics say Bavaria’s current animal protection law lacks a minimum sentence and caps penalties at three years, providing insufficient deterrence.
• The Memmingen public prosecutor’s office is reviewing the KBLV’s case against the Unterallgäu operation, highlighting ongoing enforcement challenges.