07/15/19 We are at Sea While They are Dying in Their Own Feces Fighting for Air
Animal Friends warns the Ministry of Agriculture of the agony of animals being transported during the heat
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- DG SANTE and The Federation of Veterinarians of Europe warning: When the temperatures go up, animals in transport suffer even more
Saliva excretion, vomiting, diarrhea, significant weight loss as a result of frequent bowel movement and dehydration, fever, injury, standing or lying in their own feces, tissue and skin damage, fatigue, apathy, suffocation or quenching to death… If those symptoms were suffered by a person, we would call an ambulance immediately. But since it is a routine endured by animals in transportation on their way to be slaughtered at the end of the arduous journey, most remain indifferent because - they are only animals.
And it is during the summer months that these animals are forced to additionaly bear the effects of high temperatures, warns Animal Friends association. "The unthinkable scenes of suffering endured by cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, transported daily inside and outside the EU, would remain hidden from the eyes and conscience of the public were it not for the individuals and organizations documenting the horrors of transport. Spending days in trucks where temperatures go up to 37°C, the animals are raising their heads struggling to breathe, standing in their own urine and feces for days on end, and suffering thirst and hunger waiting to cross the border. Many die when trucks get stuck at the border for days", say Animal Friends.
While we ease the heat by staying in air-conditioned spaces and refreshing ourselves at sea, the agony of animals begins even before boarding trucks and ships. As only production units are bred, everything is subjected to a rapid increase in their weight so that they end up in slaughterhouses as soon as possible, then in shops and, ultimately, on our plates. They also have to undergo getting into the trucks. They are plagued by overcrowding of the transport space, and diseases as a result of a compromised immune system. Overcrowding means stress, and this leads to mutual injury and death due to falls from loading ramps, mutual treading and hitting. They are exhausted. They cannot lie down because others will run them over.
Judging by political decisions, veganism is the only way to help these tortured animals. Namely, even though there is a clear request from the European Commission to EU countries that animals should not be transported at high temperatures, the practice shows complete failure of EU laws to protect the animals.
Prompted by the heat wave in the European Union, Animal Friends sent a letter to the Ministry of Agriculture demanding that Croatia at least suspends the transport of live animals outside the EU during the high season, and are awaiting a concrete response. In Hungary, the Minister of Agriculture recently decided to suspend export of ruminants to Turkey at high temperatures. There are also some restrictions in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic where, due to extreme temperatures three days in a row, the State Veterinary Administration announced that it will not send consignments of domestic animals from the Czech Republic more than 600km away.
The Directorate-General for Food Safety and Health of the European Commission (DG SANTE) warns: "Due to the inability of the ventilation system of livestock vehicles to lower the temperature in the animal compartment below outside ambient temperature [...] it is very difficult for transporters to ensure that animals inside the truck are kept below 35°C when the outside temperature is above 30°C. "Due to the length of transport of live animals outside the EU, their well-being is compromised even in so-called normal circumstances. With the increase in temperature, the situation deteriorates dramatically. The Union of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) also stresses that the transport of live animals should not even be started if temperatures are expected to exceed 30°C.
The Animal Friends Association, as a member of Eurogroup for Animals, has been part of the demand that's growing for years to end the horrific practice of transporting live animals in the EU. They state that negligence and taking out on animals are the standard in the transportation of live animals, and that the horror and insanity of this outdated and unnecessary practice can be most effectively stopped by choosing a plant-based diet instead of eating meat.
More information on transporting live animals can be found here, and at www.whyveg.com/en you can find out how to stop animal suffering.
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