We are out on Spain’s roads, this time focusing on the monitoring of so-called short-distance transports. These transports last less than eight hours and are subject to specific regulations; for example, they do not require approval by official veterinarians. As a result, such transports are often far less strictly controlled overall.
We observe countless transports of pigs, cattle, sheep, and horses. Often, these involve ‘spent’ animals that are no longer considered useful to humans, or animals that have been specifically bred and kept for ‘meat production’. We look into the eyes of animals who likely have no idea yet of their final destination — in most cases a fattening farm or a slaughterhouse.
In hardly any of the transports we observed was bedding used for the animals. Bedding is not explicitly required for short-distance transports, which means that the animals are forced to stand on bare metal floors. This makes the surface more slippery and significantly increases the risk of injury. In addition, animals naturally avoid lying down on a dirty surface, which leads to exhaustion. Inadequate partition walls further increase the risk of injury, and animals are often given far too little space to move or to adopt their natural posture.
Animals must be treated with the respect they deserve. Their needs must be the highest priority — regardless of the “economic value” humans assign to them. As long as this is not a reality, we will remain with the animals and continue to draw attention to these abuses. Because otherwise, they would not be seen.
