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While cage farming has been banned in Austria since 2020, this torturous practice is still commonplace in countries from which eggs are imported. Animal suffering is being imported into the Alpine republic, warn animal rights activists.
Regards Mark
9 October 202
Undercover footage showing unweaned calves facing abuse and neglect was recently aired by the Irish television broadcaster, RTÉ Television. This new evidence echoes the findings of animal protection organisations on the ongoing mistreatment of unweaned calves and the horrors they face in the live animal transport industry.
RTÉ Investigates aired “Live Exports: On The Hoof”, a gruelling documentary which covered abuse at an assembly centre in Ireland, as well as suffering during export outside the EU. Footage revealed calves being repeatedly hit with paddles and pitchforks, as well as being dragged by their ears and tails while being unloaded from trucks. It also showed dead calves being left in varying states of decay around living animals, posing a significant disease risk.
The programme also explored the fates of those exported to third countries. While thousands are exported directly from Ireland to places including Morocco and Israel, some are sent to Spain, Hungary and Romania, after which they must endure further travel to North Africa and the Middle East. These journeys can become incredibly long, putting significant strain on the young animals. When they are finally offloaded from the vessels, they face slaughter in a country where they are not protected by EU animal welfare laws.
Putting Ireland’s calf export industry in the spotlight
While the programme caused quite a stir, it’s not the first time that animal protection organisations have heard of these kinds of abuses against calves. In March 2024, Ethical Farming Ireland, Dier&Recht, L214 and Eyes on Animals followed trucks travelling from Ireland to veal farms in the Netherlands and beyond, where they witnessed multiple counts of abuse.
Select ‘watch on Youtube’:to view:
Not only was it clear that the young animals were being harmed as they were prepared for long distance transport, but also during the journey, reports have repeatedly shown the calves face significant dehydration, hunger, stress, and neglect. The conditions inside these livestock trucks are poor, as up to 300 calves are crammed into one truck over three tiers with no headroom and barely enough space for them to lie down. These journeys can continue as far as Romania and Poland, which takes several days. What’s more, calves that don’t end up in veal farms can be fattened and sent on even longer journeys on livestock vessels, to countries far outside the EU.
So far, over 160,000 unweaned calves under six weeks old have been exported from Ireland this year. The majority end up in veal farms in the Netherlands, where they face “a hideous existence, packed together in crowded pens on hard slatted flooring, [where they are] never outside and they are sent to slaughter within a year”, comments Frederieke Schouten, director of the Dier&Recht Foundation.
These young, vulnerable calves are subjected to rough treatment and abuse… prolonged starvation, and horrendously long journeys in crowded trucks. RTÉ Investigates has exposed a major exporter and we need action. It’s time the sector took responsibility for these animals.
Caroline Rowley, Director, Ethical Farming Ireland
As one investigation after another continues to highlight the immense suffering that millions of animals endure each year in the live animal transport industry, it’s clear something urgently needs to change. Eurogroup for Animals calls for a much stronger revision to the Transport Regulation, as well as for a shift to a meat and carcasses trade, which could precipitate the end to the transport of live animals to countries outside the EU entirely.
Regards Mark – Here is a little more for you relating to some of our past work:
Related Link:
Click on the following link to read a very small part (1 of 5 investigation reports) of the overall trail / investigation report:
JH.04.03.2010_REPORT on NON-COMPLIANCE with RESTING TIMES in relation to CONTROLPOST at F-HEAUVILLE
7 October 2024
A billboard campaign has been launched in the heart of Brussels’ EU quarter, urging the European Commission to fulfil its promises on the animal welfare legislation, now overdue by a year.
The European Commission had committed to a comprehensive overhaul of animal welfare legislation by October 2023. However, a full year has passed without the promised proposals for kept animals and slaughter being unveiled.
Countless animals continue to suffer in factory farms across the EU under outdated and inadequate laws that fail to protect them or meet their most basic needs.
As part of our No Animal Left Behind campaign, Eurogroup for Animals placed 40 billboards across 17 metro stations in the EU capital to send a strong message to the European Commission: citizens are still waiting for meaningful legislative change for the animals.
Despite the delayed proposals, it was promising to see consensus by all stakeholders of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture on the urgent need for a revision of EU animal welfare legislation by 2026 and a phase-out of cage systems. In a historic move, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also announced the creation of the role of Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare. This new role will ensure animals have more representation on the political stage.
Next steps will see candidates for the Commissioner roles face hearings in the European Parliament in November 2024, where their priorities and plans will be scrutinised. Finding the right candidate is crucial to keep animal welfare legislation a top priority in the next legislative term.
Regards Mark – PS They always were bloody useless !
Related news
Common Agricultural Policy found to lack ambition by European Court of Auditors
Popular TV programme reveals calves in Ireland endure abuse and long journeys
Missing posters spotlight EU’s stalled animal welfare progress
Art installation protest against the pork industry outside Frieze Art Fair, London, UK
Animal rights activists from the groups Speciesism WTF and Animal Justice Project stage a protest against pork and farrowing crates outside this year’s Frieze Art Fair.
The protest features an art installation by Stephanie Lane and highlights the widespread meat industry practice of keeping mother pigs confined in restrictive cages.
Click on this link to watch the video:
Very effective and sending out a strong message for poor suffering pigs.
Regards Mark
We all wish……………………….
Dear all,
this terrible conflict that defies all sense and humanity has now moved on to Lebanon. As in Gaza, Innocents – Human and Non-Human alike – suffer the impossible due to the relentless bombardment of Israel.
Please, if you can, spare a few Euros/Dollars/Pounds, etc.
Every little helps to alleviate the suffering and save lives.
Thank you.
Diana & Mark
__________________________________________________________________________________________
From “Animal Lebanon“
He realised the only thing I couldn’t say no to was giving all the money away to animal rights organisations. The irony is the only way to get me on tour is to make sure I don’t make a penny from it.
Moby’s passion for animal rights is no secret as the star has even brand himself with his beliefs through tattoos.
His boldest are two arm tattoos which he debuted in 2019 and read ‘Animal Rights’, one word on each arm in thick black ink.
Regards Mark
Metro – London
World Animals Voice 