North Rhine-Westphalia: Police stop vans with dehydrated pigs

Harsewinkel (dpa / lnw) - The police stopped a truck with dehydrated domestic pigs in Harsewinkel (Gütersloh district) on Friday afternoon.

North Rhine-Westphalia: Police stop vans with dehydrated pigs

Harsewinkel (dpa / lnw) - The police stopped a truck with dehydrated domestic pigs in Harsewinkel (Gütersloh district) on Friday afternoon. The officers saw a “shocking picture” during the check, the police said on Saturday. The animals were in "extremely poor health", completely dehydrated and in some cases seriously injured. The pigs were transported for hours without any care.

The responsible farmer and driver of the van had shown unreasonable, it was said. The veterinary office was called in and assessed the injuries and the transport conditions of the animals on site. One animal had to be put out of its misery immediately, two more later. Since the farmer was also unable to produce the necessary documents, the veterinary office initiated administrative offense proceedings for violating the Animal Welfare Transport Ordinance. The farmer must expect a significant fine, according to the police.