All Lithuania saw the "torturers", but who saw the truth?

A farmer and her family have come forward after a resonant public report by the State Food and Veterinary Service (SFVT) on alleged negligent cattle housing in Anykščiai district. The emotional statement highlights not only the psychological strain, but also the fact that some of the publicly disseminated information, according to the farmer, was presented out of context and before the official assessments had been completed.

„I and our whole family wish you a year full of health, happiness and peace“, – the farmer Alvyra Žilienė begins her message. But immediately she stresses that the last few days have been very hard on the whole family. The public accusations and the label of "horror farm" have left a deep emotional mark, she says:

„Are we really as bad as we have been portrayed? My mind was spinning with thoughts that this – is just a nightmare from which I want to wake up as soon as possible.“

The farmer is surprised that so much energy, imagination and money has gone into making sure that the whole of Lithuania knows about the alleged "animal torturers" and the "horror farm".

„In our opinion, what was missing in this whole process was the intervention of competent third parties – those who could objectively assess the situation before drawing public conclusions. This was only done when the public was already against us," says Žilienė.

She also points out that „at night, a person who came onto private property without our permission recorded everything he found „worst“. This footage, according to the farmer, was subsequently made public without any explanation or context.

„The person knew exactly what to film, at what angle and at what time of day. As we saw in the footage, he walked not only around the premises where the animals are kept, but also around the places where documents are kept," she said.

The farmer does not deny some of the facts recorded: cattle are kept tethered, manure is not thrown at night, and there was a shortage of bedding in some areas. However, she stresses that this is related to the safety of the animals and seasonal farming practices, not indifference to their welfare.

„Animals are not tethered in such a way that they cannot eat, drink or move around“, – the statement emphasises.

The case of the calf that was born with a birth defect has also caused a lot of publicity. According to the farmer, decisions were taken in consultation with specialists, and the VMVT was informed of the situation – the details were recorded, the calf was humanely put to sleep and handed over for disposal.

„We did not hide anything from the VMVT. We also recorded a bleeding cow, which is still undergoing natural physiological processes a few days after calving. However, in the public domain it was described as wounded, allegedly with a festering tail," the farmer's „Facebook“ post read.

She also rejects the claims of „milk with manure“, noting that the cows and heifers seen in the images do not produce milk at all.

An inspection by the MoHFW found that the most serious infringements were insufficient bedding, unsupervised livestock and the general condition of the farm. The Authority issued mandatory instructions to remedy the infringements, but did not identify any systematic torture of animals.

In response to the situation, the family has taken additional security measures by installing CCTV cameras and marking the private area.

„This event shows how many supportive people we have“, – the statement said. Symbolically, the new year on the farm was accompanied by positive news – the cow gave birth to healthy twins.

Finally, the farmer urged the public not to rush to judgement, but to listen to both sides of the story, reminding them that reckless public condemnations are not only damaging to one family, but also to the farming community as a whole.