FACT CHECK: Did A Farmer Build This Furniture Because He Was Denied A Council Permit For A Horse Shelter?

An image shared on Facebook claims to show a huge table and chairs allegedly constructed by a farmer after not being granted council permission to build a horse shelter.

Verdict: Misleading

A wood merchant set up the furniture as a way to promote his work and shelter his horses. There is no indication the structures were erected in response to being denied a permit.

Fact Check:

The image shows a group of horses standing underneath an oversized table and matching chairs in a grassy field. “This farm owner was denied a council permit to build a horse shelter,” reads text above the image. “Fortunately, you don’t need a permit to build a table and chairs.”

Time Magazine published a different photo of the table and chairs in 2003 with a caption indicating that a wood merchant in Germany created them to draw attention to his merchandise. (RELATED: Did Animals Escape From A New Jersey Zoo When Remnants Of Hurricane Ida Passed Through?)

“Three horses try to hide from the rain under an oversized table and chair in a pasture near Doellstaedt, eastern Germany,” reads the image’s caption. “The huge garden furniture was installed by a local wood merchant to promote his products.”

The caption of a 2004 Associated Press photo showing the furniture identified Jens Braun as the creator and noted that he built the structures as “a protection for his horses.” The caption mentions nothing about any restrictions imposed on him by any government body.

The fact-checking outlet Lead Stories reached out to Braun’s establishment and talked with Sylvia Braun, who told the outlet the structures were constructed so the business would not have to apply for a horse shelter. However, she added that they are exempted from shelter-building permit requirements due to them being registered farmers.