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Pigs in a stable (symbol photo)
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Marius Schwarz / IMAGO
Around 600 animals were found dead in a pigsty in the Osnabrück district.
The pigs were "probably starved," said the district.
The competent public prosecutor's office in Oldenburg and the district's veterinary office began investigations.
Official veterinarians discovered the animals after the owner of the company had informed the supervisory authorities about what was happening through a veterinarian.
Apparently, an employee who was supposed to look after the animals had neglected them for a long time, but kept this a secret, it said.
Operation not noticed so far
According to a spokesman for the district, only piglet rearing was affected.
The animals housed in other areas of the facility were therefore cared for and survived.
No information has yet been given on the number of surviving animals.
The farm was an unspecified pig farm in the southern district of Osnabrück.
So far, the company has not been noticed by animal welfare violations, it said.
In the past, checks by the veterinary office had not revealed any indications of violations either.
In such a case, the veterinary service is dependent on active information from those around the company.
The district's control concept is risk-based.
Based on numerous data, the veterinary service creates a list of companies that are primarily checked for animal welfare violations.
From the point of view of the district, the procedure has proven its worth in recent years, the statement said.
In the past three years, deficiencies have been found in 638 farms.
Proceedings for administrative offenses were initiated in 97 cases, and the public prosecutor's office was involved in 20 cases.
Stock reductions were ordered in five companies, and a ban on keeping animals was imposed on nine animal keepers.
kfr/AFP/dpa