Transport of live animals, the terrible journeys by sea from Spain to the Middle East and North Africa

The transportation of live animals is still a common practice in the meat industry today.However, the conditions of animals on board means of transport are not protected, especially for those exported abroad.

A new investigation, published by Animal Equality with unpublished images by Animal Welfare Foundation, brings to light an obscure and little discussed aspect:the transport by ship of live animals bred for food purposes from Europe to the slaughterhouses of the Middle East and North Africa.The investigation reveals the cruel treatment inflicted on animals during these journeys since Spain, among the main exporting countries of live cattle in Europe and the second largest exporter of sheep in the world.

The trade of live animals for food purposes from European ports beyond the borders of the Union grew after theAustralia tightened animal welfare requirements for exports in 2011, leaving a free market share.Spain is among the European countries that have taken advantage of it the most, directing their own animal trade increasingly towards non-EU borders.

The problem, however, is that during these journeys and at their end cows, calves, sheep, lambs and chickens they meet terrible suffering.First of all, the ships on which they are crammed animals they are often inadequate for this purpose:only four of the 64 ships authorized by the EU were built specifically for the transport of animals.The others have been converted for other purposes and have an average age of thirty years.

There are animals on board these ships exposed to bad weather and high temperatures;they travel in overcrowded conditions, in a state of constant stress and suffering.Despite these critical issues, on board ships The presence of a veterinarian is not required to assist the animals, which often die given the poor travel conditions.

Furthermore, their corpses are thrown into the sea:an illegal practice, but often documented in other investigations and also proven by the discovery of animal carcasses such as cows and sheep on the coasts of various countries, as recently happened in France.

Animals that arrive alive at their destination meet a terrible fate.In the slaughterhouses of the Middle East and North Africa countries where they are transported, in fact, There are no minimum legal standards to protect animals that live in Europe.The animals followed by our investigation, for example, traveled for days from Spain, passing through the ports of Tarragona and Cartagena, to Lebanon.Here they were killed in a slaughterhouse without being stunned, amidst terrible suffering.

These cruelties still allowed today by Europe they cannot continue, which is why we ask the European Commission to prohibit the export of live animals to third countries outside the European Union, putting an end to this problematic and unacceptable practice.It is imperative that we act to end the suffering of billions of animals who are victims of this trade.

Anyone who wants to join the Animal Equality appeal can sign the petition, which has already collected over seventy thousand signatures in Italy.Why animals are not commodities.