At the beginning of September, one of our teams once again visited the port of Algeciras in southern Spain to monitor animal transports headed for Morocco. On that day, two transports carrying sheep were scheduled. Unfortunately, the scene we encountered was much the same as during our last mission in August. For both transports, we observed serious violations of EU legislation on the protection of animals during transport. Although veterinary inspections are carried out at the port before the trucks are cleared for departure, these violations seem to concern no one but our team.
One transport carrying lambs upset us particularly. As so often, the animals were being transported in a truck equipped only with drinking systems for pigs and cattle. Although the driver did switch on the watering system while waiting, this meant nothing but suffering for the lambs: they were thirsty and could sense that water was nearby, but the cattle drinkers were too high for them to reach, while the pig drinkers were impossible for them to use. Their only option was to lick the few drops trickling from the unsuitable and defective system. Painfully, we observed many lambs eagerly doing so—an unmistakable sign of their thirst.
But thirst was not their only ordeal. The young animals were gravely ill, showing clear symptoms of acute pneumonia, a disease triggered by various transport-related factors. The destination for these lambs was a slaughterhouse in Morocco. Transports like these are not only pure torment for the animals right up until the end, but they also pose no benefit for people in Morocco: the risk of spreading disease is far too high, and food safety is not guaranteed when such sick animals are consumed.
We will file complaints with all responsible authorities and will not stop fighting against this grotesque system of live animal exports to non-EU countries—until compassion and respect finally take precedence over greed and ignorance.
