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:

England: Irish Calf Export Investigations – Additional. By Mark – 2010 Investigations and EU Report.

https://youtu.be/OTnwR0I6c1Y

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

COVER

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