The owners of a pig farm supplying the Herta brand were sentenced on Wednesday to a fine of 25,000 euros for "
animal abuse
", by the Moulins criminal court.
The court imposed a fine of 50,000 euros, including 25,000 suspended, considering that the systematic cutting of the animals' tails was an act of abuse.
This farm of 9000 pigs located in Limoise (Allier) had been pinned in videos of the L214 association.
During the hearing at the end of January, the prosecution had requested a fine of 50,000 euros, including 30,000 suspended.
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“
It is a very harsh decision.
My clients are convicted of a misdemeanor offense, they are told the abuse is intentional.
We are criminalizing a breeding practice which concerns 99% of European breeders,
”reacted to AFP the lawyer for the owners, Me Paul Morrier.
“
This is a first and it is a worrying signal sent to breeding in general
,” he added, considering appealing.
The systematic docking of tails, called tail docking, is a "
preventive act
" practiced by a large majority of breeders, to prevent pigs from injuring each other by biting their tails, according to Me Morrier.
Videos of the breeding broadcast by the association L214
The L214 association for its part welcomed a "
historic
" condemnation: "
For the first time, justice condemns this practice, prohibited for almost 20 years by the decree of January 16, 2003
" but still practiced, underlines the association in a press release.
"
It's a major decision, a signal sent to the entire pork industry
," said Brigitte Gothière, co-founder of L214, after the judgment.
The owners of the farm were also acquitted of the facts of keeping animal carcasses and were sentenced for lack of a watering device and non-compliance with the size of the gratings, but exempted from punishment.
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As usual, L214 had broadcast several videos targeting this breeding in 2020 and then in early 2021, including one entitled “
The (dis)taste of simple things
”, diverting an advertising slogan from Herta.
Footage showed caged sows lacking space to farrow or nurse their young, pigs wading through their excrement, starved of water, some of which had their legs stuck in gaps in gratings covering the floor.
These videos had triggered an inspection by the departmental directorate for the protection of populations (DDPP) of Allier, which had concluded that the operation was “
good performance
”.
Herta, which had initially suspended its purchases from this breeding, reversed its decision after the prefecture deemed the establishment to be compliant.
