Trial in Vorarlberg

A cow’s tongue torn out

The provincial court in Feldkirch.

(Bild: Mathis Fotografie)

A particularly brutal case of animal cruelty will be heard on Friday at the regional court in Feldkirch (Vorarlberg). A farmer will also have to answer for the illegal import of medicines. 

Following the agonizing death of a cow in the Bregenz area at the beginning of October last year, three defendants are on trial. The men - aged 22, 36 and 69 - are accused by the public prosecutor of tearing out the tongue of a cow, causing serious injury to the animal and torturing it for an unnecessarily long time.

Rope around the tongue
The incident is said to have occurred during hoof trimming. When the animal did not want to go into the designated hoof box, the farmer tied a rope around the cow's tongue and probably pulled so hard that the tongue was torn off.

But that was not all: after this brutal act, the animal is said to have remained in the barn for days without medical treatment. Finally, it was transported to a slaughterhouse in Salzburg. There, the cattle were allegedly waved through both the live inspection and the meat inspection without any problems.

Animals illegally administered medication
However, the case only became public in February of this year. In addition to cruelty to animals, the farmer is accused of illegally importing antibiotics and cortisone from Germany and treating his animals with them. He was reported to the district authority for illegally dispensing medicines.

The case also triggered a political earthquake - with de facto consequences: Veterinary care in Vorarlberg has been reorganized as a direct result of the scandal. The trial on Friday will take place from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the jury courtroom of the regional court in Feldkirch.