Around 40,000 sheep and 23,000 young calves are exported from Britain every year by the livestock industry, destined for slaughter on the continent.
Suffering and death plague animals on these cramped long-haul journeys. And many of those sheep end up slaughtered by painful and illegal practices, investigators have found.
Live animal transports are cruel and outdated -- and New Zealand (a major meat producer) has already banned the practice. Now we have a chance to do the same as we leave the EU and set our own new animal welfare laws.
Please call on Environment Secretary Michael Gove to stop the horrors of live animal transports now!
"When sheep are forced to stand for many hours, if not days, on a truck, in more than 35-degree heat, with their heads and backs touching the ceiling, it's like an oven,”
Animal welfare investigator Christine Hafter described these conditions on the Turkish border to BBC reporters last year, after sheep had died during transportation.
It’s time to put a stop to this cruelty, by improving conditions for animals in the livestock industry.
The ugly truth about the export of living farm animals:
- Animals are taken on excessively long journeys, in overcrowded vehicles, without sufficient food, water or rest.
- This includes sick, injured, very young and pregnant animals.
- Some animals are exported to countries with no animal protection laws. They could face terrible abuse both during transport and at the time of slaughter.
It's already banned In New Zealand -- there’s no reason the UK can’t do the same.
Sign the petition to help put a forceful case to government -- that no animal should travel for more than 8 hours. The industry should also move towards slaughtering all animals before they're transported.
More information
BBC. 18 September 2017.
Farmers Weekly. 23 January 2018.