Hefenhof horse breeder confronted with eviction request
Published: Friday, Aug 9th 2024, 10:50
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According to the official gazette of the canton of Thurgau, the district court of Arbon has received an eviction application for the property of a farmer and horse breeder from Hefenhofen TG. The farmer gained national notoriety in 2017 due to an animal welfare case.
The farmer who made the headlines for alleged animal cruelty is asked in the official gazette to comment on a request to vacate his property.
In December 2023, the debt enforcement office of the district of Arbon TG auctioned off the farmer's farm, including his home and pastureland, to the highest bidder, a vegetable farmer from Austria, for CHF 1.83 million due to uncovered outstanding debts. Apparently, the former horse breeder has so far refused to leave the farm. It is conceivable that he will one day be evicted.
Animals confiscated and ban on keeping animals imposed
The animal welfare case reached its peak in 2017. At that time, the authorities confiscated 90 horses and issued an animal husbandry ban. Photos of severely neglected horses had previously been circulating in the media.
In March 2023, the farmer was brought before the Arbon District Court on charges including multiple counts of cruelty to animals. However, the court acquitted him of numerous charges. Most of the "evidence" presented by the authorities, with which the public prosecutor's office wanted to put the animal abuser with a criminal record behind bars for more than six years, could not be used, according to the ruling.
The public prosecutor's office appealed against this decision. The case is expected to be retried this fall at the Thurgau High Court.
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