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This happened in the presence of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. It is requested to stop the trade in and export of live animals outside the European Union. The animal rights organization organized a march in front of the Ministry of Luis Planas in Madrid against the background of the recent accident of the ships Karimullah and El-Beek.
More than 2,500 cows were killed
After three months floating at sea, all of the cows on board the Elbeik were slaughtered once in Spain. This ended the suffering of nearly 1,800 animals who were in so bad condition that veterinarians could no longer offer any other solution. There are still 1,610 hungry cows on the ship bound for Turkey. About 180 head of cattle died and were thrown into the sea.
In Turkey, animals were not allowed to disembark due to an alleged virus. Subsequent attempts in Libya and Egypt to get rid of the animals failed, after which the ship returned to Spain again. In Karim Allah, there are hundreds of bulls that had to be culled for the same reason.
A million animals left Spanish ports
Igualdad Animal notes that while countries like the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany no longer allow this type of travel, the export of live animals from Spain to the Middle East and North Africa continues to grow; In 2019, about one million animals left Spanish ports.
Spain has catapulted to commercial niche
Since Australia stopped exporting animals to Saudi Arabia because the country refused to accept the Australian animal welfare system, Spain and Romania, which are considered less strict with the rules, have populated this trading place. Large cargo ships, capable of transporting up to 35,000 animals, are currently seeking a license from Australia to operate from Spain.
Regarding the two ships, Spain was informed several days before their arrival in Turkey that the animals on Karimullah and Bey would be rejected. Despite this, the Spanish authorities took no action and did not notify the ships. They also did not inform the European Commission. It was Italy that did so on February 18, as the ships had been sailing the Mediterranean for two months.
The animal rights organization is requesting information from the ministry about both vessels. “Spain has a responsibility to ensure the welfare of its animals and comply with European standards. The government must stop complicit in the suffering of these animals. This is unacceptable and unsustainable, and it makes us drained of animal cruelty in Europe,” said Silvia Barquero, Director of the organization in Spain.
Studies and reports issued by the European Commission itself confirm that the application of European legislation on the protection of animals during transport is completely insufficient in Spain. Something of the events that took place with the two ships Karim Allah and Al-Beek is a sad evidence.
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