Minister suggests foul play after mares' deaths at celebrated stud farm
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
03.04.2016 12:44
Poland's minister of agriculture has claimed in the wake of three consecutive deaths at the state-run stud farm of Janów Podlaski that foul play could have occurred.
Landwirtschaftsminister Krzysztof Jurgiel und Premierministerin Beata Szydło.
PAP/Bartłomiej Zborowski
Minister Krzysztof Jurgiel has called on Poland's attorney general to take personal supervision over an investigation into the deaths of the three mares.
The latest death occurred on 2 April. A mare named Amra, which belonged to the wife of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, died after being taken ill. The horse was worth approximately 350,000 dollars.
The cause of Amra's death was abdominal spasms. The horse had been transported to a specialist clinic in Warsaw after it took ill but nothing could be done.
Another mare died in similar circumstances on 16 March.
According to Minister Jurgiel, "the particular circumstances of the events and the same cause of death in each case, raise a reasonable suspicion that the death of the third mare is the result of intentional acts of third parties."
A new head of the stud farm was appointed in February by the government, replacing longstanding head Marek Trela, sparking protests in the equestrian world.
The first death, of a mare named Pianissima, took place in October, before the dismissal of Marek Trela. The ministry cited alleged improper veterinary supervision as one of the reasons for his dismissal. However, critics of the dismissal said the move was political, and that the government simply wanted their own man in the job. (nh/pk)