Animal cruelty in the Wassertrüdingen slaughterhouse: scandal brings layoffs!

Animal cruelty in the Wassertrüdingen slaughterhouse: scandal brings layoffs!

Wassertrüdingen, Deutschland - Wassertrüdingen faces a massive animal welfare scandal that got rolling on May 7, 2025 by investigating the Ansbach criminal police. In one of the largest old hens slaughterhouses in Germany, the Buckl slaughterhouse, serious violations of the Animal Welfare Act were revealed. More than 500 hours of contamy video material provided by the animal rights organization Aninova, documents abuse of chickens, including the most brutal treatments such as chokes and clamping.

The Bavarian control authority for food security and veterinary (KBLV) reacted immediately and prohibited the slaughterhouse. Bavaria's Minister of Agriculture Michaela Kaniber also warned of possible bottlenecks in slaughter capacities for poultry. Up to 60,000 laying hens were processed every day in this slaughterhouse, which slaughtered around 11 million laying hens annually and thus plays a central role in poultry processing in Bavaria.

Investigations and consequences

The allegations are so serious that the KBLV has already given several requirements for a possible resumption of the company. Among other things, all employees identified on the film material who were actively involved in the abuse must be exchanged. A total of around 100 employees are employed in the slaughterhouse, 16 of them in the slaughterhouse department, all of which are equipped with expertise ID cards.

The investigations by the criminal police and the confirmation by the public prosecutor show the serious extent of the incidents: In just two weeks, Aninova has documented 728 animal welfare violations, including 311 medium and 288 serious violations. The head of the veterinary office in Bayreuth, Kai Braunmiller, described the sum of the violations as "terrifyingly high" and criticized the management of the slaughterhouse for the failure to recognize and remedy grievances.

reactions and further developments

After the grievances became known, customers of the company also reacted and demanded comprehensive information, while some products have already been removed from the shelves. The company itself distances itself from the allegations and plans labor law steps against the presumably involved employees.

The affected Buckl Poultry GmbH is not only the largest Althen slaughterhouse in Bavaria, but also one of the most important in Germany. It remains to be seen when the company can be resumed and what other legal steps are initiated against those responsible.

The results of the investigation and the decisions based on it could have far -reaching effects on the entire industry and further intensify the discussion about animal welfare and quality assurance in the slaughterhouse. The fate of the over 11 million annually slaughtered laying hens could be a decisive factor for future regulation.

For further information on the legal aspects of animal welfare, details in Animal Welfare Act are read.