Overview
- A 68-year-old farm owner, his 35-year-old son, and two employees from a large dairy operation are the defendants.
- They are accused under Paragraph 17 of the Animal Protection Act of failing to call veterinarians, not euthanizing hopeless cases, and transporting weak cattle with a loader, causing prolonged suffering.
- Proceedings open on 20 January 2026, with Tuesday sessions scheduled through May to allow item-by-item evidence on each animal.
- Of the cattle cited, 14 were slaughtered and 16 were euthanized in close temporal connection to their illnesses.
- The retrial follows SOKO Tierschutz footage from 2019; two staffers were fined in 2023, while 2025 police searches and an August animal-keeping ban for the manager are separate from this case.