On the so-called “terror farm” in Burgos, the trail of animal suffering extends beyond the fence of the property. In a 2,000-meter forest next to the pig farm, a trail of skulls, hooves, spines and other bones testify to the presence of an illegal dump belonging to the Domingo del Pozo farm, the Welfare Observatory reported on November 27. Animal (OBA) for animal abuse and fraud. On the farm, plagued by rats and worms, the pigs suffered to the point of death, as EL PAÍS reported on November 30. This Wednesday, the NGO warned against the inclusion of environmental crimes in the lawsuit regarding the cemetery found around the farm, “since it is located in protected natural areas: the Sabinares de Arlanza-La Yecla Natural Park and the ZEPA and ZEC Sabinares del Arlanza “, explains Julia Elizalde, OBA project manager.
EL PAÍS visited the pig farm on November 27 and confirmed the presence of bone remains from the Domingo del Pozo farm, certified with the animal welfare seal issued by AENOR and IRTA. Both companies withdrew this award from the farm after learning of irregularities and the presence of the illegal dumping reported by this newspaper.
Several vultures devour the carcass of a pig that was left outdoors for 36 hours at the “Terror Farm” in Burgos. Animal Welfare Observatory
Guillermo Moreno, director of the plaintiff NGO, considers it “very serious that the farm satisfactorily passed the last AENOR audit of August 24, 2023, although a large part of the published images come after that date.” In a video dated August 1 In September, a week after the certification team inspected the farm, a seriously ill piglet can be seen on the floor of a stable and a few meters away the corpse of another with its intestines sticking out.
The Queen Test
The OBA is also revealing new images this Wednesday of the agony of a pig in the open as it starves to death before being eaten by vultures. This sequence is one of the most revealing pieces of evidence, as it contains all of the prosecution's crimes: from environmental crimes to animal cruelty, with aggravating circumstances such as death and failure to render aid. “The level of inattention and seriousness of the situation on the farm reaches its peak when the farmer's modus operandi is revealed to get rid of one of the pigs that has been dying for at least 36 hours, unable to get up and has no access to veterinary care, food or Water,” the OBA said in a statement.
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Elizalde has specified that “according to current regulations, a seriously ill animal must be sacrificed in order to avoid unnecessary suffering” and accuses the company of failing to comply with Regulation (EC) No. 1099/2009 of the Council of Europe of September 24, 2009. 2009, on animal protection during slaughter.
By disseminating this material, the NGO insists on the immediate closure of the farm and on the dismissal of Domingo del Pozo, the farm's owner, as mayor of Quintanilla del Coco by the Popular Party.
A worker drags the carcass of a pig at the Domingo del Pozo pig farm in Quintanilla del Coco (Burgos). Animal Welfare Observatory
The terror farm investigation began right in this forest with a dying stench that piqued the curiosity of some neighbors who wanted to find out what was happening on this farm. One of them finally sneaked in on some nights between May and October 2023. “What I saw there is the most terrible thing I have seen in my life,” confesses the intruder to this newspaper, pointing out the illegal cemetery: “We have…” cameras in the trees and we revealed that the mayor was the one who illegally disposed of the bodies and took the dead animals into the mountains on his tractor when no one saw him.”
Following the publication of the OBA investigation, Mariano Veganzones (Vox), Minister of Industry, Trade and Employment of Castile and León, denied the images, saying they were “totally false” and that “they were taken from another farm.” However, as this newspaper was able to verify, at the beginning of each recording there is a newspaper from that day and a GPS tracking device shows the coordinates of the place where the video was taken.
Skeletal remains are scattered in the 2,000-meter-high forest surrounding the “Terror Farm” in Burgos. Animal Welfare Observatory