Old appliances on the farm

Environmental hazard: Styrian farmer sentenced

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(Bild: Peter Tomschi (Symbolbild), Krone KREATIV)

A Styrian farmer stored everything on his farm that could possibly be turned into money. Because some of the old equipment had not been emptied properly, the man had to answer for deliberately endangering the environment in the provincial criminal court on Tuesday.

According to the indictment, the accused had been storing all sorts of things on his property for at least two years. Some of this was classified by an expert as a potential threat to the environment. The farmer did not feel guilty in any way and strongly objected: "The tanks of the trucks have been emptied or removed, there are oil pans underneath the cars and I got the barrels empty, there was no oil residue in them, but spirit. I need that for the mash".

Four canisters of old cooking oil were intended "for refueling the tractor", and he wanted to remove the old car batteries anyway. However, according to the prosecutor, they had been on his property for at least two years.

The tools are in the fridge
Although there had already been several complaints, the old vehicles were allegedly still there in June. "You can see bulky waste, glass bottles, crates, building rubble," said judge Julia Riffel, looking at a photo of the property. A car could also be seen. "The Golf is now dry," emphasized the defendant, referring once again to an oil pan. Incidentally, some of the equipment was "brand new, I need it to work". "There's also an old fridge," the judge reproached him. "Yes, the tools are in there," came the reply.

No money for disposal
"If all this is stored for a long time, it will endanger the environment," the chairwoman explained to him. "In the long run, yes, but I've already cleared most of it away," the farmer asserted. A police officer who has been involved in the case for years said: "A few things have been cleared away, but new ones have also been added. The authorities knew that the man had the will, but not the money to dispose of it properly.

You are not a waste disposal company. You can't just put an old truck on your lawn.

Polizist zu dem Angeklagten vor Gericht

According to his own statements, he collects some of the junk "from the forest" in order to dismantle and sell it. "You're not a waste disposal company," the police officer warned him in court and emphasized: "You can't just put an old truck on your lawn." "It's my meadow", the accused showed little understanding.

He was sentenced to three months' conditional imprisonment. The defendant continued to show a lack of understanding even after the verdict. He announced an appeal. The verdict is not legally binding.