Court rules removal of 66 sheep from farm was unlawful

Upper Austria’s provincial administrative court has ruled that the removal of 66 sheep by the Wels-Land district authority was unlawful, ORF reported. The court found that although there were animal welfare deficiencies at the farm in Steinerkirchen, an immediate danger had not been sufficiently demonstrated.

The case involved pigs allegedly kept without water, a severely soiled and emaciated calf, and sheep that had not been treated despite a bacterial infection.

The Wels-Land district authority had banned the farmer from keeping animals and cited an urgent danger as the reason for the measure. However, the authority took six weeks to find accommodation for the sheep, according to the court.

The court said the justification for removing the animals was insufficient and declared the measure unlawful.

The administrative fines challenged by the farmer remain in place. The court confirmed that the sheep farmer must pay them.