As of: March 6, 2024, 12:56 p.m
By: Hanna von Prittwitz
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A Cameroon sheep: These specimens were also the subject of the hearing before the district court.
I get the impression that you are a good-intentioned sheep farmer.
Judge Franz von Hunoltstein in his verdict © hendrik Schmidt
An excursion into the peculiarities of sheep farming in the heat – that is also available at the Starnberg District Court.
Yesterday a farmer from Unering had to defend himself against accusations that he had left his animals unprotected in the sun.
The proceedings were discontinued against payment of money.
Unering/Starnberg
– In July 2022 it was hot for a few days, very hot.
A veterinarian from the Starnberg district office claimed to have observed numerous animals suffering from the heat in a sheep pasture near Unering on July 22nd.
Only vegetable boxes and a trailer with water are said to have served them as protection.
The animals showed the rare panting breathing and were apathetic.
The vet filed a report and called the police.
Although the district office ordered that the animals be provided with shade, the situation is said to have not improved on July 25th.
The matter ended up before the Starnberg District Court as a case of animal cruelty - and yesterday it ended relatively well for the farmer.
He has to pay a fine of 2,000 euros, and judge Franz von Hunoltstein stopped the proceedings.
A side detail: The veterinarian was removed from the case by the district office.
The first hearing scheduled for August 10, 2023 was therefore postponed.
The whole thing is another chapter in a long dispute between the Starnberg district office and the farmer, who switched to growing vegetables in 2020 after a lot of trouble because of his animal husbandry.
In 2021 he was still on trial for attempted water pollution after a leaky silo was noticed in 2019.
The process was stopped because the silo was no longer in operation.
500 sheep on several pastures
Today, in addition to his vegetable fields, the 43-year-old has around five hundred sheep, which he keeps on several pastures.
The court was first concerned with clarifying how many sheep had been standing on which of the three pastures in focus at the time, how old they were and whether they were wool sheep or Cameroon sheep.
Also under discussion was the question of whether Cameroon sheep cope with heat better than wool sheep and whether all sheep suffer equally from heat.
The answer: Sheep also experience heat individually.
Although everyone probably gets warm from around 25 degrees in the shade, some people cope with it better than others.
However, they all need shade and water.
The veterinarian stated that there was “enough of the latter.”
The thermometer climbed to 31.3 degrees in the shade on July 22nd.
The farmer admitted in court that he had made a mistake here: an employee set up several vegetable crates to protect them from the sun, but unfortunately with the opening in the wrong direction.
The public prosecutor's office alleges that the farmer subjected the sheep to too much heat for ten hours and did not respond to the district office's request.
The farmer denied the allegations.
Inconsistencies in the indictment also emerged in detail regarding the number, age and breed of the animals.
These grazed on other meadows on July 25th at temperatures of up to 33.2 degrees.
According to the farmer, there were 25 lambs that were up to six months old and therefore still unshorn, as well as 100 Cameroon sheep.
He made sure that they were able to go into a forest and that all of the space requirements were met.
The edge of the forest also cast shadows.
Finally, he showed photos of animals lying in the middle of the meadow on hot summer days and also visiting a reed grove, which is probably rare but is documented with photos.
According to the witness's statement, it was not entirely clear whether the animals were actually panting and apathetic.
Two breaks for meetings
The court withdrew twice for discussions.
“I have the impression that you are a good-intentioned sheep farmer,” Judge von Hunoltstein finally concluded.
“But always be careful, people will be keeping an eye on you.” 1,000 euros will go to the state treasury, 1,000 euros to the animal protection association.
The farmer accepted the agreement with gritted teeth.
“I didn’t do anything,” he emphasized.
However, the relationship with the Starnberg veterinary office is now more stable: “It is much better today.”