Category: Live Transport

Farm Animals, General News, Live Transport, Uncategorized

EASTER .. the Fate of Lambs

Every year again we witness the impossible, in Christian countries, the result of a Faith gone utterly wrong. The lamb, the very symbol of Innocence and of Jesus Christ, being subjected to a level of cruelty, and in huge numbers, that defies understanding.

After all …

So much for wishful thinking, and quite possibly the Lord’s own thoughts on the issue, and man’s relationship with these defenceless creatures, and indeed all of the Animal Kingdom.

And THIS is the reality … year after year after year.

Violence against lambs
2014 - La sofferenza degli agnelli e capretti allo scoperto

https://animalequality.org/news/2019/11/04/investigation-sheep-brutally-killed-in-uk-slaughterhouse/

Investigation documents cruelty at UK sheep slaughterhouse

November 4, 2019 Updated: January 20, 2025

Animal Equality UK has released a new investigation filmed inside a sheep slaughterhouse. The disturbing recordings, filmed during July and August 2019 at Farmers Fresh Wales slaughterhouse in Wrexham, North Wales, detail unimaginable cruelty and immense suffering. Farmers Fresh Wales supplies customers in London and across the Midlands, as well as continental Europe. …..

https://animalequality.org/blog/the-long-road-to-the-slaughterhouse/

The Long Road to the Slaughterhouse

January 28, 2022 Updated: February 1, 2022

Instead of sitting down to a family dinner over the holidays, Animal Equality investigators were on the road, documenting the suffering of lambs transported from Eastern Europe to Italy for slaughter.

Every Christmas and Easter, Animal Equality documents the long and difficult journeys that lambs undergo from Eastern Europe to Italian slaughterhouses. These lambs, many only weeks old, end up on the tables of millions of Italians during the holidays.

Transport: The Investigators’ Daily Journal

Although the transport trucks tend to follow predictable routes, it’s not always easy to map their movements. We located and followed some trucks, being careful not to lose them while we gathered as much information as possible.

Day 1 ….

https://animalequality.org/news/2015/03/23/shocking-cruelty-in-lamb-industry-revealed-once-again/

Shocking cruelty in lamb industry revealed once again

Animal Equality launches it’s ‘Save a Lamb’ campaign with a video that shows the cruelty lambs suffer in modern farms and slaughterhouses.

March 23, 2015 Updated: February 24, 2025

International – Through the release of a new video showing the life of a lamb in 60 seconds, Animal Equality launched on Saturday, March 22nd it’s 2015 ‘Save a Lamb’ campaign.

(watch Video on Page)

The video was filmed entirely by Animal Equality undercover investigators in farms and slaughterhouses in Italy. The practices shown in the footage are standard and common practice in the meat industry. ….

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Farm Animals, Fish, General News, Live Transport, Uncategorized

(EU) The silent suffering of fishes on European fish farms
The silent suffering of fishes on European fish farms

The campaign

Underwater factory farms are one of the biggest causes of suffering on the planet. Forcing billions of fishes to spend their lives swimming in endless circles in cages before suffering inhumane and painful deaths. We call on the European Commission to include the protection of fish welfare among the priority objectives of the revision of the EU legislation on animal welfare.

The new investigation

A new investigation by Essere Animali reveals the shortcomings of the current European Union legislation on animal welfare, which clearly fails to guarantee the protection of farmed fish. The shocking images filmed during the investigation — which was conducted at several trout farms as well as a few sea bass and sea bream farms — reveal farming, transport and slaughter practices that cause enormous suffering to the animals.

By releasing this investigation, Essere Animali joins and relaunches the Compassion in World Farming campaign, aimed at asking the European Commission to include the protection of fish welfare among the priority objectives of the revision of the EU legislation on animal welfare.

Farm Animals, Fur and Fur Farming, General News, Live Transport, pets, Stray Animals, Uncategorized, Vivisection, Wildlife

(EU) The fragmented landscape of animal welfare legislation in the European Union

https://www.eurogroupforanimals.org/library/fragmented-landscape-animal-welfare-legislation-european-union

17 February 2025

From cage to fur farming and fish welfare, key animal welfare concerns are being addressed very differently across the EU’s 27 Member States.

In this report, we break down the steps that different countries in the EU are taking on a range of animal welfare issues – or lack thereof. The stark differences in their approaches highlights the critical need for the EU to publish its long-awaited revision to the animal welfare legislation, which has not been updated for decades, and which is not sufficiently protecting the wellbeing of animals across Europe.

Only by modernising and strengthening these laws will the EU be able to effectively harmonise the approaches of all Member States to animal welfare: improving the lives of billions of sentient beings, easing compliance for farmers, ensuring fair competition, and aligning agriculture with its sustainability and resilience goals.

11 02 2025_The fragmented landscape of animal welfare legislation in the European Union_report_efa_eng_0Download
Farm Animals, General News, Live Transport, Uncategorized

Animals Recently Left Stranded At Sea; Demand An End To Live Transport!
Animals Recently Left Stranded At Sea; Demand An End To Live Transport!

and this is what it looks like …

from: https://www.facebook.com/IsraelAgainstLiveShipments/

A site well worth the visit, and proof – if that were needed – that NOT EVERYONE in Israel supports this practice!

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10156047773473433&set=ecnf.100064315824726

Translation of above text:
An excerpt from a biased article in late 2016 about the adequacy of the conditions in the live transports (since then, countless horrors have been documented, all of which turn out to be adequate):

“The issue of animal cruelty is very important to the Ministry of Agriculture and to me personally,” Uri Ariel clarified. “We decided to conduct a surprise inspection of a shipment of calves arriving in Israel, in order to see the reality up close. The conditions on the ship were adequate.”

According to him, the professionals in veterinary services are doing a sacred job to reduce harm to animals, “We are constantly examining new ways to see what else can be done to reduce harm to animals imported into Israel.”

“Animal cruelty is a well-known prohibition in Judaism, an example of which is the rule ‘You shall not muzzle an ox,’ which was already written in the Torah thousands of years ago. Judaism taught humanity not to harm animals, and we as a country see this as a moral and professional obligation,” emphasized the Minister of Agriculture.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1375940542509823.1073742047.488281447942408&type=1&l=71b873bc54

About Us, Farm Animals, General News, Live Transport

England: Live Animal Cruelty Investigations – Part 1 – The Start, By Knowing ‘It Was Wrong’.

Well, where did it all start with me and that wonderful world of animals; defending and speaking for their rights; Veggie and veganism, and yes, the darker world of cruelty investigation work.

When I was a young lad; aged 8 years, I had owned my own dog for about 3 years – a beautiful Shetland Sheepdog (see picture) named ‘Sheba’.  She was a gift from my parents; and having her taught me primarily respect for other living things, as well as taking responsibility for ensuring she was at her best at all times, fed, kept safe and illness free, and loved incredibly.

I was also a bit of a Deisel head even at that age – trucks were my thing, and every weekend I was out on my bike witnessing all the heavy freight heading down to Dover (a major port in SE England) ready for their mass departure from Calais (France) at Sunday midnight which allowed the start of another working week for British hauliers in mainland Europe.  In France in those days (70’s), they were banned from roads at weekends; unlike the UK.

I lived near to a major road route down to the Kent Channel ports; and for a young boy, it was heaven; trucks from all over the UK heading down to Dover all day every Sunday.  Then, one Sunday ‘it’ happened.  My world changed and has never been the same since.

In those days, Transport Ministry inspectors often secured a lay by near to my home, where they (with the police) would pull over heavy freight to ensure they were compliant with paperwork, road taxes and all the necessary for their trip across the Channel and a new working week in Europe.

As I say, I was 8 years old, but I spent many hours up close and dirty as the heavy freight was pulled over by the police so that the Ministry men could undertake their checks.  Scania’s were, and still are, my favourite; https://youtu.be/1lBoP0Qwaeg  – that sound !!

Anyway, one Sunday it was raining a bit, but I was still out; (school all week so you needed something interesting !) watching the big rigs get pulled over.  I watched a lot, and enjoyed massively; friendly truckers always willing to give me a wave, or better still, a blast from their air horns. And then; out of the blue, the police decided to pull over something which I had never experienced before – a livestock transporter.

I went over towards it as it stayed at the checkpoint; but immediately there was something different.  It was stacked high with live sheep.  In those days, it was legal for livestock trailers to not have to be fitted with an upper deck roof; hence the poor unfortunates on the top deck continually suffered throughout the journey in the wind and full exposure to any driving rain.  I could also see through lower deck slats at those cramped together and suffering at lower levels; packed in like sardines in a tin. I knew immediately that what I was witnessing was wrong; simple; animals should not suffer or be suffering as they did.  After a while the transporter must have been given the all clear, and it lumbered back onto the highway destined for the port (Dover) and a final destination somewhere in Europe where ‘something would be done’ to the sheep.  I knew nothing about it or them, but I knew that it (what I had witnessed) was wrong. No ‘if’s’ or ‘buts’.

So that Sunday afternoon, saddened and shocked that this was being allowed; I headed back home on my bike; but, that same afternoon I made myself a simple promise; that if and when I got older to a point that someday I would be a voice for those suffering animals and all others being transported; then I would be !

Cut to Summer 2024; finally my dream of ‘that kid’ aged 8 years, of doing something; and the resultant live export ban on all British farm animals from the UK to overseas destinations became a reality.  But, there had been a great deal of work in between.

I really got deeply involved again when I was around 18 years old; I could drive, had my own car and had started a pretty stable job working as a trainee Technical Author in Military Aerospace Flight Controls; Autopilots and all that jazz.  Every day whilst on my drive to work; using ‘that’ same highway, I continued to witness, pass, shout, and give the finger to livestock drivers headed down to the ports.  Their cargoes were always the same; the silence of the lambs and sheep, the quietness from the intelligent pigs, and what got to me most of all, the bellowing of the baby calves.  Mere babies themselves in need, but deprived of, the milk from the mothers they would never see again.  In my days at the ports protesting against the trade; you could always hear the calf transporters before you saw them; it was heartbreaking because you knew what they were going to – even worse at that time, you could really do little about it.

Above – Baby Calves Arrive at Dover. Photo – Mark

Crated Calves Neck Tethered.

Above – Crated Calves

But, things would slowly change.

To be continued.

Myself with ‘Golda’, another Sheltie.

Farm Animals, General News, Live Transport

Investigation – Israel : Live Animal Exports to Israel Continue Despite Ongoing War.

28 October 2024

EFI

A large number of animals are still being exported to ports in Israel where they are at high risk. Vulnerable cows and sheep are being sent into the war zone from Member States including Ireland, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary and Lithuania, where they face rocket fire, air strikes, and mistreatment by distressed port workers and handlers.

The long journeys to Israel’s largest port, Haifa, have severe effects on the health of these sentient beings, causing respiratory illnesses, ulcers, leg injuries, motion sickness and heat stress. Their suffering is only magnified on arrival in Israel, as from Haifa port to the surrounding quarantine and fattening farms, they face daily barrages of rockets and continuous air raid sirens.

Reports have claimed that a number of dairy farms around Haifa have been hit by missiles in the last weeks, killing a large number of cows. In addition, the unsafe conditions around the port are causing workers to use electric prods to get the cattle off the ships as quickly as possible.

Since the war started, there have been over 100 shipments of cattle and sheep from Europe to Israel. Livestock has continued to be exported to Lebanon since the war expanded in that region.

10 NGOs, including Eurogroup for Animals and Ethical Farming Ireland, have now sent a letter to European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, urging her to suspend all live export to Israel and Lebanon with immediate effect.

Ethical Farming Ireland has also urged Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture Charlie McCanalogue to not authorise any more shipments to Israel until the conflict is over.

Regards Mark

Farm Animals, General News, Live Transport

European Animal Welfare Organisations Demand An Import Halt For Horsemeat.

Photo – AWF/ TSB/ GAIA

15 October 2024

GAIA

Press Release

The German Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF) and the Swiss Tierschutzbund Zürich (TSB) present a new film documentation on horsemeat from Argentina. The footage, taken between 2022 and 2024, shows cruelty and poor animal welfare in the handling of horses at Argentinian horse slaughterhouses and assembly centres and during transport on unsuitable cattle trucks.

Together with Eurogroup for Animals (Brussels), Welfarm (France) and GAIA (Belgium), AWF and TSB are calling on the European Commission to stop the import of horsemeat from Argentina. In a resolution in 2021, the European Parliament also spoke out in favour of an import suspension. The Belgian Meat Federation FEBEV and the Swiss importer Skin Packing, on the contrary, want to prevent reporting on the cruel conditions in Argentinian slaughterhouses by taking AWF and TSB to court. 

Since 2010, investigations carried out by AWF, TSB and GAIA have shown that horsemeat producers in Argentina do not comply with the EU’s import requirements. The animal welfare organisations criticise the EU Commission for not imposing the same measure against Argentina as that already imposed against Mexico and Brazil, from which horsemeat imports have been suspended. EU audits conducted in Argentina identified very similar issues regarding food safety and animal welfare, confirmed by EU Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, who said that “the specific issues raised, such as residues of veterinary medicines, animal welfare, illegal cross-border movement and traceability, were all identified during the audits the Commission services have conducted (…)”. Nevertheless, horsemeat from questionable sources continues to enter Europe. 

“Our investigations are disturbing the European importers. They want to prevent the publication of our findings by taking legal action against AWF and TSB. The EU audit reports, however, have repeatedly confirmed what is shown in our film documentaries”, explains Sabrina Gurtner, AWF|TSB project manager. 

Argentinian media regularly report on criminal organisations that abuse the horsemeat business, yet even horse traders who have been under police investigation for years and have been banned from the animal trade remain in the business illegally. They are known to use the uncontrollable network of slaughterhouses, assembly centres and horse suppliers for their criminal business. “From official sources, we have received a list of 2,600 addresses of horse assembly centres and suppliers. This network is an ideal hiding place for criminal gangs”, reports Sabrina Gurtner. 

For example, the Lamar slaughterhouse near Buenos Aires has repeatedly been the target of police investigations. The media reported a raid in 2022 at the Lamar slaughterhouse and its supplier in Ibicuy. The latter is being investigated by the police for forming a criminal organisation, money laundering, tax evasion, possession of weapons and animal cruelty.

The new film by AWF and TSB shows the state of horsemeat production in Argentina – with seriously injured and highly emaciated horses left unattended, driven limping from the transporters into pens. Foals born in the slaughterhouse wander unprotected between nervous, thirsty and hungry horses. The presence of foals also indicates that heavily pregnant horses continue to be transported, despite being unfit to do so. The film also shows workers beating the horses incessantly with sticks and brooms. The horses are not adequately supplied with food or water, nor do they have sufficient protection from the weather. These horrific animal welfare conditions are present despite the fact that the visited slaughterhouses participate in the European importers’ “Respectful Life” project. 

Several audits carried out by the EU as well as investigations of the animal welfare organisations show that the traceability of horses is not guaranteed. This leads to an increased risk to food safety and there is no information about where the horses actually come from. Stolen horses have frequently entered the slaughter pipeline.

A public petition calling on the EU Commission to stop horsemeat imports from overseas, has so far collected more than 213,000 signatures. “On behalf of several European animal welfare organisations, we are calling on the Commission to require equivalent animal welfare standards in exporting countries and to suspend any horsemeat imports from countries where no effective traceability system is in place”, explains Iza Arrieta, Programme Manager, Cats & Dogs and Equines, Eurogroup for Animals.

Sébastien de Jonge, COO GAIA, says: “The investigations carried out by the animal welfare organisations have led many supermarket chains to stop selling horsemeat from countries that violate animal rights. In Belgium, all supermarkets have ceased selling horsemeat from South America. It is now crucial for Europe to follow the example set by these private actors and close its borders to products resulting from the worst practices towards animals.” 

Ghislain Zuccolo, CEO WELFARM, says: “It is unacceptable that some supermarkets in France still sell horsemeat from South America. This situation is in total contradiction with the ambitions of these same distributors with regard to animal welfare. They can no longer ignore the sufferings involved with this trade.”

Mark.

Farm Animals, Fur and Fur Farming, General News, Live Transport

EU: Animal Welfare Commissioner Must Show More Concrete Commitments.

23 October 2024

In the run-up to the candidate hearing of EU Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare Olivér Várhelyi, the European Commission (EC) published the answers to the written questions.

While Eurogroup for Animals welcomes aspects of the candidate’s answers to questions on animal welfare, it stresses the need for much more ambitious actions and concrete commitments to improving the lives of all animals in Europe, and to respect the wishes of citizens who have been calling for the EU to do much more in this respect.

In his answers, candidate Várhelyi promised to work on “policies [that] leave no one behind, creating conditions for truly inclusive health and animal welfare systems catered fairly to the needs of people and animals”.  

Eurogroup for Animals welcomes the commitment to modernise animal welfare legislation in line with the latest science, and acting on the End the Cage Age ECI through the phasing out of animal cages.

The answers however, are far from ambitious enough, and the candidate makes no reference to:

  • A clear timeline of the revision of the legislation
  • Comprehensive species-specific regulations that take into account the unique needs of certain species, like fish and meat chickens
  • A ban on fur farms, as per the demands of the Fur Free Europe ECI. 
  • Plans for a transition to animal-free science
  • Actions to tackle the illegal pet trade
  • Ensuring that animal welfare standards apply to imported products
  • The introduction of and EU-wide Positive List for animals that should be kept as pets
  • Enabling food environments that make healthy and sustainable diets widely available and affordable – this is crucial for a OneHealth approach.

Despite the introduction of Animal Welfare in the Commissioner’s name, a news that was widely welcomed, the mission letter barely mentioned animal welfare (only 1 of 14 items).

In reaction, in September, Eurogroup for Animals sent an ideal mission letter to EC President Ursula von der Leyen, detailing the priorities that were missing. MEPs are invited to sign the mission letter during an event that Eurogroup for Animals will host with GAIA at the European Parliament during the week starting 4 November.

With animal welfare being right there in the title of his role, we expect much more ambition on the part of candidate Várhelyi. After decades of new scientific evidence, and resounding calls from citizens, we urgently need more concrete commitments and timelines that ensure better standards for all animals in the EU, with none left behind. We call on MEPs to represent the demands of citizens and request specific answers during the hearing.

Reineke Hameleers, CEO, Eurogroup for Animals

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Mark