Our inspection into a dairy farm in the province of Ancona revealed various irregularities, later confirmed by the Carabinieri following a raid. Two people face 27 months in prison, fines amounting to 45,000 euros and sanctions of up to 350,000 euros.
Our investigation team carried out various inspections on a dairy farm breeding around a thousand cows in the province of Ancona. Here we documented animal welfare and environmental issues.
What did we report?
© Essere Animali
Inside the large sheds where cows were housed we found worrying hygienic conditions: the cows had their legs immersed in faeces due to the excessive amount of excrement on the floor, with the risk of falling or getting injured. We also saw sick or dying calves. From an environmental point of view we documented a sewage leakage from the animal waste collection tanks, which were probably beyond permitted capacity. In addition, we found the presence of two illegal tanks for the collection of manure.
After our inspection, we alerted the authorities who intervened promptly and confirmed all the irregularities we reported. The story was also covered in various newspapers: Ancora Today, Ansa, eTv Marche and Corriere Adriatico.
Authorities confirmed our reports
According to the authorities, the conditions in which animals were kept caused them serious suffering. The investigations, carried out by Carabinieri Forestali in Ancona, ascertained that in 2021 24 cows were slaughtered due to leg fractures or dislocations caused by poor management of the sheds.
They also carried out some checks on the illegal construction of two tanks for the collection of sewage, as well as the illegal disposal of animal waste onto the surrounding land. The latter constitutes a serious problem for the environment, also due to the fact that there is a watercourse a few metres from the farm.
For these reasons, the Carabinieri have filed charges against two people for the crimes of:
- animal abuse
- illegal waste management
- carrying out building works without the necessary permits
The two men risk up to 27 months in prison, fines of up to 45,000 euros and sanctions of up to 350,000 euros for illegal waste management.
This is not the first time
Once again, our investigations uncovered a number of irregularities. For ten years, our association has been documenting the reality of what happens on Italian and European farms, and the frequency with which we encounter irregularities that cause animal suffering and put public and environmental health at risk is deeply concerning.