Animals' Angels is at the weekly cattle auction in Silleda in Galicia, which takes place every Tuesday. However, the animals are brought to the market site on Monday afternoon until late at night. There are two halls on site: one for the calves and one for the spent ‘dairy’ cows and ‘fattening’ bulls. Two vets monitor the unloading process - a regulation that has only recently been introduced - and check the health of the cattle. Animals that show signs of being unfit for transport or are in a generally poor condition are first noted down. The next morning, they are re-examined by another vet. The vet then decides whether the animals need to be returned from the market to the farm of origin due to their condition, whether they should be transported to a nearby slaughterhouse or whether they need to be euthanised on site to prevent further suffering.
On the evening of 19 August 2024, we draw the vet's attention to two cows that are in a pitiful condition. Although he states that he has already noted them, and indeed, when we return the next morning, we realise that the animals have left the market early, this measure seems inadequate in view of the obvious suffering of the animals.
It is important to point out that the stress to which the animals are exposed during the market is immense. They are often tethered for more than 24 hours on hard ground that is only sparsely covered with bedding. Drinking troughs are available, but no food - which does not contravene EU regulations, which merely stipulate that mammals must be fed and watered at least every 24 hours during transport - which includes their stay at the market.
Another problem arises in the hall where the calves are housed. They are allowed to be brought to market when they are only 15 days old, provided their navel has healed. We are sobered to realise that this is not even the case with some of the calves. The vet reports that he has been campaigning for years to raise the minimum age for calves to be allowed onto the market to 30 days. But even if such a regulation were to be introduced, there would still be a loophole: Farmers can fill in the animals' birth documents themselves and thus easily manipulate the date. It is also alarming that the calves only get milk on the market if the owner provides it - which is rarely the case according to the vet. Otherwise, they only have access to water troughs, which are neither age-appropriate nor provide the necessary nutrition for the young animals. As a result, the calves often remain without liquid for up to 24 hours or longer. The EU regulation only stipulates that unweaned calves must be fed after 9 hours of transport if this is deemed necessary - a phrasing that seems almost cynical given the young age of these animals.
Our observations at the cattle auction in Silleda show that there have been significant improvements in recent years, as we have found far fewer lame and weak animals. Nevertheless, auctions like this are still associated with enormous stress and suffering for the cattle and it is obvious that EU Regulation 1/2005 does not adequately protect the animals from this.
