SPAIN NEWS: Man starves 39 cows to death on farm in Spain

A MAN is accused of animal cruelty after starving 39 cows he kept on his farm in Chantado in Lugo, Spain, which led to their death.

When residents made a complaint to police that they suspected the man had been maltreating his animals, officers from the Guardia Civil carried out an inspection of the farm in Axulfe.

Once at the scene they discovered 39 dead cows dumped on the land with obvious signs of malnutrition. In addition, dozens of other animals were in a shocking state of starvation with police reporting that the hygiene on the farm was also extremely poor.

When questioned by officers as to how the cows had died, the farmer attributed the deaths to bacteria in their food and that he decided to slaughter them. However, later tests by veterinarians on the animals showed that they had in fact died from causes related to malnutrition where they had not been fed for prolonged periods of time.

The farmer will now appear in court on Thursday, December 19, where prosecutors are asking that the man receives 14 months in jail and to be banned from keeping animals for 3 years.