The animal welfare network KRÄFTE BÜNDELN (https://www.tierschutznetzwerk-kraefte-buendeln.de/), is an amalgamation of over 20 animal welfare and animal rights organizations that are involved in joint publicity projects and use actions for a sustainable approach to nature and for an end to animal exploitation.

For 18 months, the ANIT committee had NGOs and experts paint a gloomy picture of animal suffering on live animal transports (We had already reported about this: https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2021/12/04/anit-committee-vote-an-anti-animal-welfare-work/

The recommendations resulting from the final report are inadequate and unacceptable.

With the attached open letter (see below) we, the animal welfare network, which is a bundle of 20 animal welfare and animal rights organizations, have asked the members of the European Parliament not to be satisfied with the ANIT recommendations but to refuse their consent for the transport of live animals to high-risk countries.

The EU Parliament should now only vote on marginal changes to this exploitative system.
This is why this animal welfare network has written an open letter to the EU Parliament.

I have partially translated the letter, the full one is in the link: https://820805a0-5ad0-4cb2-bc9e-581be8b5ff3c.filesusr.com/ugd/d8e3c6_a1c9ede787cb489a93c6ab864481b751.pdf

The letter

Dear members of the ANIT committee,
Dear Members of the European Parliament,

We, the signatories from the animal welfare network, would like to express our position on the recommendations of the committee of inquiry in connection with the protection of animals during transport (ANIT) to the EU Parliament….

For us and many citizens it is incomprehensible and highly irritating that both the report of the committee of inquiry and the proposals for the recommendations of the EU Parliament are in principle in favor of continuing long-distance animal transports to third countries outside the EU.

For many years, numerous documentaries have attested the unimaginable suffering of the animals through horrific conditions on the routes and through brutal handling of the animals on the daily, often weekly and not infrequently 7,000 kilometers long transports by land and water.

Although recognized experts have reported on it to the ANIT committee in a factual and technically competent manner, the horror of these transports is only inadequately reflected in the report and the suggestions for the recommendations.
There is no clear recommendation to end animal transports in animal welfare high-risk states Report of the ANIT committee, however, in full.
An “embellishment”, i. H. just a slight gradual improvement in cruel animal transports is not a solution.

In this way, an agricultural system is maintained that is in a constant cheap and growth spiral and thus constantly too many animals are produced that are “disposed of” via these transport routes in third countries.

For us it is incomprehensible and technically simply wrong if the only theoretical notion of animal welfare-compliant care on these routes and in is maintained in the target countries and used as an argument.

In fact, these transports are neither feasible nor controllable according to European standards.
Last but not least are the ones that await the animals at the destination environmental, husbandry, handling and almost without exception slaughtering conditions (shafts) without stunning ethically unjustifiable and must lead to the termination of these transports

[…]It is always emphasized that the EU is a “community of values”. This also means protecting the weakest and not exploiting them for particular interests in order to achieve the highest possible profit.
Given what animals suffer on these transports and what they suffer in countries like Egypt, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mongolia, Russia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey , Tunisia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan expected, the term “community of values” is just an empty phrase.

In order to do justice to this concept, we have to grant the animal a dignity as a fellow creature and treat it with respect.

Animals may no longer be viewed and treated as any commodity, often even mistreated.
The German Ethics Council formulates in its opinion: “The described animal ethics criticism corresponds to the observation that, irrespective of the legal admissibility, the industrial breeding, keeping, slaughtering and exploitation of farm animals practiced today does not correspond to the predominant social sense of morality and justice.”

With regard to a further vote in the EU Parliament in January, we urge everyone to take responsibility for a different approach to animals.

The facts are all on the table, the ANIT committee received reports from competent and highly qualified experts for 18 months – there is no lack of knowledge and there is therefore no reasonable reason to continue transporting live animals to third countries.

The only logical and ethically justifiable conclusion is a general ban, both with regard to animals for slaughter and animals that have been rededicated as breeding animals.

It is easy to replace these with meat transports or the use of frozen semen.

Until then, we will continue to advocate a full moratorium at member state level.

With resolute greetings

xxxxxxxxx

And I mean…We fully support this letter! And will immediately report on reactions or developments, if any come.

There is no such thing as a “community of values” with regard to the EU.
Because the EU lacks a very essential element -that is respect for their citizens who have voted and fought with numerous petitions for the abolition of animal cages, animal transports and, last but not least, animal experiments.
Behind this is the arrogant attitude typical of the EU, which will soon cost us many animal lives again.

So far, EU citizens have been treated with ignorance and indifference by this “community of values”.
The actors who determine animal welfare in the EU are the worst agricultural lobbyists and therefore the decisions are directed against the interests of EU citizens and against animal welfare, in every respect.

The EU has a massive democratic deficit.
Something like trust is no longer so easy to establish.
The only solution for the EU is: it has to go

My best regards to all, Venus