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In the field of animal transportation we have, with the help of many other organisations, achieved quite a lot over the last 10 years. With respect to legislation, for instance, the Austrian animal transportation law and the EU transportation regulations. The Austrian animal transportation law restricts transport to the slaughter house in general to 6 hours or 150 kilometres (motorways 300 km). The EU regulations specify rest and drinking periods, the appropriate truck equipment as well as a "certificate of Competence" for the driver of an animal transport - and much more which is not listed here – these are successes in the name of animals. Naturally, one can object that the laws so achieved are inadequately controlled and enforced, despite this such legislation provides a basis to demands for more animal protection during transportation. During the months June to September, Animal Network teams have accompanied many animal transports e.g. from Germany to Italy and Morocco and from Poland to Italy. We have evaluated the watering stations as well as recording and evaluating the actual conditions for the animals in transit. In accordance with the Animal Network motto "united we are strong" this project was carried out in co-operation with the German Tierschutz e.V. (German Society for the Prevention for Cruelty to Animals). Result: There have been many improvements in international animal transport. German
carriers, for instance, fully comply with the legislation for the
protection of animals. It is, however, a definite fact that – for
reasons of profit – unscrupulous carriers do not observe the
provisioning periods. At this point Animal
Network
would like to congratulate the German police who, in the meantime animal
transports are generally subjected to stringent controls. One problem is,
however, that particularly in Spain and Italy, none complies with the
regulations governing animal transportation, i.e. in Italy animal
protection stops, at the latest, at the port of embarkation for the
Lebanon. The fact that controls are virtually non-existent in Italy,
Spain and Greece is well known by the "black sheep" under the
animal carriers. Thus, for instance horse transports from Poland to
French slaughterhouses circumnavigate Germany and Austria and select
routes over seven countries in order to move animals which are unfit for
transportation to France.
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| Our Plea (s) ... |
One problem is, however, that particularly in Spain and Italy, none complies with the regulations governing animal transportation, i.e. in Italy animal protection stops, at the latest, at the port of embarkation for the Lebanon. The fact that controls are virtually non-existent in Italy, Spain and Greece is well known by the "black sheep" under the animal carriers. Thus, for instance horse transports from Poland to French slaughterhouses circumnavigate Germany and Austria and select routes over seven countries in order to move animals which are unfit for transportation to France. Unfortunately it is still not possible to sound the all clear for animal transports. Despite improvements catastrophic violations of ethics and humanity. In particular where so-called "slaughter" animals are concerned the complacent attitude "they are going to be slaughtered anyway" still exists. This brings the result that precisely those animals which are awaited by death on the conveyor belt principle are often most badly mishandled during transport. Film which we have shot in Italian slaughterhouses is so horrifying that it cannot be shown on TV – even at a late hour. That which takes place there daily – and every day – is unbelievably inhuman. The "terror without end" of a long transport is followed by "an end with terror" to put it more than mildly. The example of a horse transport from Lithuania to Sardinia clearly demonstrates just how many "slaughter animals" are still transported daily, even now; "they are going to be slaughtered anyway" "terror and death for meat consumption" in this case for horses.
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Manfred Karremann and his team accompanied a transport from Lithuania to Sardinia, a distance of 3,000 kilometres, for the German ZDF TV station (37 Degree programme October 5th 1999) and the "STERN" magazine. With breaks of 3 hours in Poland and some four to five hours in Italy, the 21 horses were on board the vehicle for more than 100 hours. After a days long journey through Poland, Czechoslovakia, Slovakian, Hungary and Slowenia, the horses should have been given a 24-hour rest and been fed and watered on entering the EU at Gorizia by Triest, Italy. Instead, one of the horses died at this infamous station as, maddened by thirst, it mounted the bars of the water trough, broke its front legs and had to be slaughtered on the spot. Another animal broke a rear leg whilst being unloaded another horse had an eye smashed out of its head brutally and deliberately. That these practices have been going on at the Gorizia customs post has been known for years, the veterinarians at the station maintain silence in the face of these accusations; the Italian government has been rejecting the evidence as "untrue" for years. However, the fact is that the remaining 20 horses, including the grievously injured animals, were transported further through Italy after only a few hours. There was no mention of the 24 hours of rest as prescribed by the EU regulations. The water provided was restricted to just a few drops for each animal. After more than 100 hours on the road – that is more than 2.5 working weeks – the horses were delivered to the "Valeresa" slaughterhouse in the industrial area of Cagliari, Sardinia. We tried, in vain, to buy freedom for at least one of the injured animals. We were informed that they had all be previously ordered by supermarkets and butchers. The slaughterer was already waiting for the animals. After one hundred hours in a truck – death at piecework rates – the animals have 45 seconds in which to die. Including the brown with the missing eye and the grey with the broken leg. To quote Manfred Karremann "to speak of animal
protection in the face of these mammoth transportation routes is pure
mockery of these poor animals then these transports are absolutely
unnecessary right from the start". And "kindly slaughtering"
which, among other things was claimed by the slaughterhouse in Cagliari
just does not exist. What is there "kindly" about taking a
fellow creatures life? 45 seconds of terror in the face of death can be
much longer than 100 hours in the back of a truck. |
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The Individual Makes the Difference! Our Plea ... |
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The Individual Makes the Difference ! Please renounce animal products wherever possible. In particular replace meat in your diet with alternative foodstuffs. He who eats meat causes animal transports and much sorrow and death. The basic consideration is quite simple; "No meat, nor transportation of animals for slaughter and no piecework killing". Therefore the Animal Network plea: Replace meat in your daily diet even if it is difficult to change the habit of eating meat and sausage. Do not consume things that are on offer "anyway" but demonstrate the change by your buying habits. The Swiss company
"Migros"
offers the fungus-based product "Quorn" as a meat substitute.
In Germany the so-called "Reformhäuser"
(health food shops) are the first address for those who wish to change
their eating habits in favour of animals. In addition to vegetarian
foodstuffs you will also find cosmetic articles which have not been
tested on animals, these products are marked accordingly. Animal
Network thank
you on behalf of our animals for your efforts in this respect. |
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