Farmer jailed after serious animal welfare violations involving 130 sheep

A farmer from Gudbrandsdalen has been sentenced to 45 days in prison for serious violations of Norway’s animal welfare law, NRK reported. Around 130 sheep lived in unacceptable conditions for five months, according to the judgment.

The sheep had not been sheared, lacked adequate access to drinking water and were kept in areas heavily covered with manure. Inspectors from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority also found dead animals and injured animals that had to be euthanised.

After several inspections failed to bring improvements, the farmer was banned from being responsible for animals. When inspectors returned several months later, they found that he had breached the ban and reported him to the police.

In district court, the farmer denied criminal responsibility and said he had struggled with his health. The court found the offences serious because they affected many animals over a prolonged period and had serious consequences for their welfare.

His health problems meant he was unable to move the sheep to pasture, leaving many of them indoors throughout the summer. The farmer said the animals had not suffered, but inspectors disagreed, saying the sheep clearly showed signs of having lived in a dirty and wet environment.

The farmer kept animals in two barns at separate locations. He told inspectors that he believed the ban applied only to one address and that he was therefore allowed to keep animals at the other barn.

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority received several reports of concern about his animal keeping from 2020 through 2025. These led to nine inspections and 17 orders requiring improvements.

The farmer was also ordered to pay 7,000 kroner in legal costs to the state. His lawyer, Espen Enger Halvorsen, declined to comment on the judgment or say whether an appeal was being considered. The appeal deadline is two weeks after the judgment has been formally served.

The court said the sentence was reduced because more than a year passed between prosecutors being informed of the case and the farmer being questioned. The judgment was also issued after the statutory deadline because of holiday leave, according to the court.

Police prosecutor Einar Gauslaa Bergem said prosecutors were satisfied with the judgment and that the district court had agreed that the violations of the animal welfare law were serious. He noted that the appeal deadline had not expired.