Raids on Overijssel livestock businesses over fraud and cruelty

Investigators from the food and product safety board NVWA have raided the homes and businesses of two livestock traders in Overijssel over suspected fraud and transporting sick animals.

The raids took place on September 30, the NVWA said on Wednesday. Investigators seized business records, phones, used ear tags and a pair of pliers for removing ear tags.

Every cow in the Netherlands must be registered and carry an ear tag with a unique number, so animals can be traced quickly if there is a disease outbreak or meat turns out to be contaminated.

Unregistered animals
At one trader’s premises, 88 animals were registered at a different address or not registered at all. At the other, 19 animals were incorrectly registered. Cattle without the mandatory ear tags were found at both sites.

With help from the police, investigators also stopped a lorry that had left one of the traders’ premises early in the morning. None of the 21 cattle on board were registered to his address. Another 32 cattle belonging to the same trader were found on a farm elsewhere in Overijssel. They had been imported but never registered in the Netherlands.

One trader’s business was registered on paper at the other’s address, keeping it out of sight. Cattle from the Netherlands and abroad were being kept there. Animals may only be gathered for sale or slaughter at approved collection centres, which have strict rules on cleaning and disinfecting livestock trucks to stop disease from spreading.

Sick cows
Inspectors also found a shed of cows in poor condition. Some could no longer stand and others had severe inflammation. One of the traders is suspected of transporting the animals even though they were too sick to be moved. The NVWA believes he then kept them because he could no longer sell them or have them slaughtered.

A vet put three cows down on the spot. The NVWA has taken administrative measures to make sure the rest get the care they need.

Neither trader has been arrested. The criminal investigation is being led by the public prosecution department’s specialist unit for environmental and fraud cases (Functioneel Parket). The NVWA told broadcaster NOS it could not say how it came across the pair.