'Stop live animals exports for slaughter'

Paul Eccleston, The Telegraph 12 Feb 08;

A worldwide campaign aimed at banning the long-distance transport of live animals for slaughter has been launched in London.

Animal charity workers shot secret film footage during a two-year long investigation of the global trade in live animals which they say is cruel and unnecessary.

The Handle With Care coalition is using shock pictures of animals being shipped around the world in overcrowded and filthy conditions before they are finally slaughtered.

They hope consumers will be so horrified by the images of sheep, cattle, horses, pigs and chickens moved in horrendous conditions in journeys that can take weeks they will embarrass governments into finally banning the trade.

Rules on minimum standards of care for live animals in transit - including regular feed, water and rest - are frequently flouted. To save on costs animals are also illegally crammed into lorries, containers and ships where they do not have enough room to lie down.

And animals are shipped from one side of the world to the other for slaughter so that producers can charge higher prices by fraudulently claiming the meat was locally sourced.

The Handle With Care coalition, made up of leading UK-based animal welfare charities the World Society for the Protection of Animals, Compassion in World Farming, the RSPCA and the International League for the Protection of Horses claims thousands of animals die in transit every day from disease, hunger and stress in overcrowded and filthy conditions.

They say human health is also being put at risk because animals being transported can help spread potentially deadly diseases such as bird flu across the world.

The coalition says that animals should be reared and then slaughtered at the nearest possible abattoir and the meat frozen before being shipped.

World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) Campaigns Director Leah Garcés said: "British people are growing increasingly concerned with the way animals are treated and I am sure they will be horrified by the cruelty and suffering that can clearly be seen in this new undercover film.

"We were determined to show people the truth of this hidden and brutal traffic in animals - if you see it for yourself - you just know it must be stopped."

The campaign will focus on four of the worst routes involving animals:

#Sheep from Australia to the Middle East.

Australia is the world's biggest exporter of live animals and every year sends millions of sheep to the Middle East in vast ships. More than 30,000 die annually on the journey which can take three weeks.

#Cattle from Brazil to Lebanon.

Cattle can spend 3-4 days without food and water on road transporters before arriving at the port for shipment. They are herded into overcrowded holds where 10 per cent will die during the 18-day sea journey.

#Horses from Spain to Italy.

100,000 horses are transported across Europe for sale every year mainly from Spain to Italy where they are slaughtered for food. Lorries are supposed to transport about 16-18 horses at a time in individual stalls but often 25-30 are packed in together for distressing journeys that take two days.

#Pigs from Canada to Hawaii.

Pigs reared in extremely low temperatures in Alberta are moved on overcrowded trucks to California before being shipped to Hawaii. Forced to endure extreme temperatures lying in their own waste many die from stress during the seven day journey. Those that survive are then slaughtered and their meat sold as "Island Produced Pork".

The coalition claims that the technology to freeze meat before it is shipped abroad has been available for more than a century and there is no reason to continue the export of live animals.

Compassion in World Farming Chief Executive Philip Lymbery said: " The cruelty these animals endure is completely unacceptable in the 21st century. This trade is one in which millions of animals suffer cruel and unnecessary journeys each year. It must stop."

Campaigns and demonstrations in the 1990s led to a huge fall in the number of live animals sent for export from the UK. In 1995 2m sheep and lambs and 500,000 calves were exported. By 2007 the numbers had tumbled to 80,000 sheep and lambs and 70,000 calves.

The coalition is demanding a stricter enforcement of EU laws governing the live transport of animals and hopes that existing laws will be strengthened when they come up for review in 2009.

Jo White, Director of Campaigns for the international League for the Protection of Horses, said: " You cannot put a price on cruelty. This trade is cruel and unnecessary and must be brought to an end.

"Our message is that logic and compassion must be applied to farm animals and they should be sent to the nearest slaughter house. If you have passed the slaughter house you have already gone too far."