Man who deliberately allowed starvation and death of 170 geese on his farm in Spain handed 15-month prison sentence

The Supreme Court in Spain has upheld a 15-month prison sentence for animal abuse for a farmer from Cordoba, who knowingly let 170 geese die from starvation and lack of care on his farm. In addition, the defendant is disqualified from exercising his profession and participating in any commercial activity related to animals for three and a half years.

The man appealed the initial sentence issued by Cordoba's provincial court, but the Supreme Court upheld it, finding him guilty of a crime of continuous mistreatment.

The farmer was the sole administrator of an extensive farm, specialised in fattening geese for the production of pâté, meat and feathers. The investigation found that the owner let the animals die from "starvation and lack of care", causing them agony for about three weeks in June 2018. In addition, the court concluded that he did so with clear consciousness, given that the employee responsible for feeding the geese had informed him of the lack of feed and the birds' poor state. This detail worryingly indicated the owner's "total disregard for the life" of the animals.

According to the court, when the veterinary services of the Junta de Andalucía and the officers of the Guardia Civil's nature protection service (Seprona) arrived at the farm, they found the geese dead, most of them piled up and in an advanced state of malnutrition. The report stated that they had no food or drinking water - except for a small drinking trough and a small pool of rainwater, where they drank, bathed and defecated. Despite their deteriorating state, the birds had not received adequate health care.

Therefore, the court proceeded to treat the case as a continuous offence that led to the collective death of 170 geese, punishable in accordance with the law. The ruling stated that "the suffering of an animal and the death of a living being require legal treatment that makes sense when we recognise the animal as a sentient being, and therefore worthy of protection in and of itself". The judge said that treating animals the way the 170 geese were treated goes against Spain's legislation and the socially accepted values, according to which "every animal is a sentient being, deserving of respect for its life, whether human or not".