Greens call for closure of criticised livestock operation

Lower Austria’s Green Party is calling for authorities to close a livestock fattening operation in the St. Pölten district and remove the animals kept there, ORF reported Thursday. Green state parliament member Dominic Hörlezeder said closure was the only responsible consequence in response to the conditions reportedly found at the operation.

“For 13 years, this operation has stood for animal suffering, complaints and broken promises,” Hörlezeder said. The Greens also called for more staff at district authorities responsible for inspections, particularly in official veterinary services, saying the authorities were structurally understaffed for animal welfare checks.

The Verein gegen Tierfabriken, or VGT, is organising a demonstration and vigil outside the operation on Thursday afternoon. Organisers said calls for vigilante justice, interference with property rights or threats of violence would not be tolerated.

The VGT also filed the complaint against the operation. The case previously reached the St. Pölten Regional Court in 2023, when proceedings against the farmer ended with a diversion. The VGT is now raising the possibility that the man has been working with animals despite a ban on keeping them.

The St. Pölten district authority said it was carrying out frequent inspections and had initiated administrative penalty proceedings. St. Pölten public prosecutors are not currently conducting an investigation, spokesperson Thomas Korntheuer told the Austria Press Agency.