The team of Viva! Interwencje, on behalf of Animals' Angels, inspects a cattle market in Radzymin, a small town very close to Warsaw.
The strange thing about the market is that there is a sign prohibiting animal trade, but nevertheless, trucks line up by the gate and enter the property just like usual. The team contacts the responsible veterinary service office to learn that the market is in fact supervised, but an inspection team will be sent to the spot.
The veterinary service inspectors arrive around noon and begin inspecting the market. Our team assists in the inspection, even though the officials seem extremely uncooperative. First thing that strikes our team at the very beginning is that the official veterinarian, who has already been at the market, is about to leave. He says that his duty hours end at 12:00, even though the market is not even nearly over. He claims this is regular practice.
The animals are still being loaded on trucks and the team spots several situations involving beatings of the cows and twisting their tails, but the veterinary inspectors claim not to have noticed anything. The team also hears the market veterinarian telling the farmers: "No beating, we've got Viva! here."
In the middle of the market, the team finds a downer cow lying in plain sun, tied up with ropes which suggests that she will be dragged up the ramp any second. The team interrupts, showing the case to the vet inspectors who rule that the cow is to be taken under the roof and watered. The farmers manage to get her up on her feet, but she is limping badly. The inspectors decide that they will take no further action as the cow will be taken to the slaughterhouse anyway where her suffering would end.
Moreover, there are several cows with dripping udders that the inspectors order to be milked by their sellers. The market staff shows the team the drinking bowls for the cows. They are filled with old, green water and there are no traces that the bowls have been used lately.
The vet inspectors inform the team that they would only make a note for the county veterinarian about the observed deficiencies which according to their assessment were not serious. The team of Viva! will forward their observations to the county veterinarian in Warsaw and demand proper steps to be taken. They have already complained about the deficiencies at this market and about the work of the same veterinary inspector in the past.
