Horrifying conditions found at Brabant dairy farm

Dutch food safety authority NVWA reprimanded a dairy farmer in Noord-Brabant for neglecting his animals. On the farm inspectors found calves and young cows standing in thick layers of excrement, heaps of rotten food and moldy hay and starved looking animals, RTL Nieuws reports.

A group of 13 heifers were allowed to go to a barren meadow, but only way to get there was through a thick layer of manure. A sick calf was found in the back of a stable. The young animal was left to his fate and was unable to stand up. A veterinarian was called in but could do nothing for the calf and decided to euthanize the young animal.

In one meadow the NVWA found very thin horses, and in another two old sheep cadavers were found among the sheep. In another meadow, the drinking water supply did not work and the animals had to drink from the ditch. One heifer slipped into the mud up to its stomach and drowned.

The NVWA sent inspectors to the farm based on a tip. A report was given through to the Public Prosecutor, which must decide whether to prosecute the farmer. In the meantime, the NVWA will make sure that the farmer fixes the problems on his farm.

For privacy reasons, the NVWA did not reveal which farm was involved.