The animal abuse case against the large poultry farm in Llucmajor has been dismissed.

PalmThe head of Palma's Court of Instruction number 11 has dismissed the case of alleged animal abuse against the large poultry farm in Llucmajor, which was reported last year and where chickens lived alongside rats, filth, and the carcasses of other animals. According to the dismissal order, to which Europa Press had access, the investigations carried out did not substantiate the commission of any crime.

The judge refers to a report prepared by the Nature Protection Service (Seprona) of the Civil Guard and another from the Livestock and Animal Health services, from which "no criminally relevant facts can be inferred." However, he admits that the presence of chicken carcasses in various stages of decomposition does demonstrate "deficiencies in the daily removal of carcasses and in the hygienic and sanitary conditions of the farm." These circumstances, he recalls, have already been the subject of several administrative sanctioning proceedings that classified the facts as minor or serious infractions. The reports also mention the detection of rodents, both live and dead, and biosecurity measures that do not comply with administrative regulations, circumstances which the judge assures have already been rectified and have not caused "serious actual harm" to public health or the environment.

The magistrate, however, rules out that the reported events constitute a crime of animal abuse, given that it has not been proven that the presence of dead animals was the result of "active, intentional mistreatment, or mistreatment with the intent to cause serious harm to the integrity, health, or well-being of the hens." The mortality rate on the farm, he argues, is below the limit considered normal, 1%, and therefore, it is ruled out that the deaths are due to an underlying disease. "The possible keeping of hens in inadequate conditions, although reprehensible from an administrative point of view and subject to sanction by the competent authority, does not reach the required threshold of severity," the judge concludes. Appeal to the Provincial Court

The neighborhood platform formed against the farm, STOP Macrogranja Llucmajor. Sin Olor ni Moscas (STOP Llucmajor Macrofarm. No Smell or Flies), has already appealed the dismissal of the case to the Provincial Court of the Balearic Islands. In their appeal, the residents argue that the judge ordered the dismissal of the case "without having carried out the most essential investigative steps," which violates their right to effective judicial protection.

Thus, they maintain that the fact that the magistrate has not observed evidence of a crime does not mean that it doesn't exist, but rather that the investigation "hasn't even begun," demanding that several investigative steps be taken. These include requesting the Llucmajor Town Hall to provide the building permit for the farm to clarify whether the construction complies with the law, verifying the possible existence of various pests and infections, and conducting periodic checks on the chickens. The residents also lament that neither the accused, nor the mayors of Llucmajor since 2019, nor the officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment who handled the administrative files have been asked to testify as witnesses. Environmental Impact

The residents' platform points out that, within the framework of the case, the investigation was looking into the possible commission of crimes not only of animal abuse, but also others related to environmental impact, illegal dumping of biological waste, fraud, and land-use planning. "We are not only talking about animal abuse, but also the risk to people's health," they emphasize in the legal appeal.

Should the Provincial Court reject the appeal and the dismissal become final, sources from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Environment indicated that the regional government must reactivate the administrative process to determine whether the company responsible for the poultry farm should be sanctioned for these actions.

The organizations Satya and ARDE reported the large-scale poultry farm, located in the Mallorcan municipality of Llucmajor, to the Public Prosecutor's Office for alleged crimes against public health and fraud. Both animal and environmental protection organizations published an investigation last April which found the site to be extremely unsanitary, with cobwebs and a mixture of dust, dirt, and feathers. Following the complaint, government inspectors and the Civil Guard inspected the facilities and ordered the closure of one of the farm's buildings. What more needs to happen?

Arde and Satya, in a statement released this Thursday, maintained that the provisional dismissal of the case "does not erase the images or the documented facts" of rotting corpses and heaps of chickens. "What more must happen for animal abuse to be punished? The coexistence of live animals with dozens of decomposing bodies, the accumulation of extreme filth, and the sick birds are documented facts assessed by veterinary professionals," they demanded. Although they stated they respect the court's decision, the animal rights activists called for "not normalizing situations that demonstrate a pattern of abandonment, unsanitary conditions, and animal suffering" at a farm that had already been fined nearly €400,000 administratively. "We will use all legal and social avenues at our disposal to demand accountability, transparency, and the closure of a farm that has generated alarm among residents, risks to public health, and, above all, clear harm to thousands of animals," the organizations said.