Poland: Cattle Market

Bodzentyn is predominantly a cattle market for regional trading. Farmers buy and sell cattle to each other. However, cows, bulls and calves are also sold to regional slaughterhouses.

Our team is at the market regularly to help sick and injured animals, as well as to ensure that unfit animals are not being transported.

Until 2015, the conditions at the market were repeatedly bad. This was mostly due to on-site veterinarians who did not fulfil their obligation to properly look after the animals. Our longstanding and persistent work eventually led to the replacement of the responsible market-veterinarian. Since 2015, the number of official veterinary inspections increased. Since then, our market protocols which document animal welfare infringements, are also used by market inspectors and police authorities to take action against the responsible animal owners. A key factor in this development is that the council in Bodzentyn is cooperative and willing to solve problems on the market together with us. discuss the occurring problems.

Finally, animals unfit for transport are emergency killed, instead of being loaded, transported and unloaded again at the slaughterhouse where they are eventually released form their suffering like in earlier times. This proceeding also has a signalling effect on other animal dealers. Since then, less animals who are sick, weak or injured are being brought to the market.

The quality of the transport vehicles has also improved. However, there is much more to be done, and the positive developments would quickly take a negative turn as soon as our team would release the pressure.

Our brochure in Polish for bovine livestock farmers is free to download and offers information about appropriate animal keeping, feeding and the treatment of diseases.