Operation on the Turkish border – progress thanks to our work
During our investigation, we inspected a transporter belonging to a Romanian company.
Our project managers Tea Dronjic (2nd from left) and Magda Romańska (2nd from right) met with the official veterinarians of the Turkish border and discussed the current challenges with them.
The partition in the truck was too high and the animals could injure themselves. However, the driver did not respond to our remark.
Our team traveled to the Turkish-Bulgarian border to check whether there are still problems with animal transports there. We also met with border veterinarians to learn more about the situation on the ground. Because there were several serious incidents last year involving weeks of waiting, it was particularly important to conduct another inspection.
Fortunately, the number of transports to Turkey has fallen significantly in the meantime. From over 3,000 transports in 2024, the number fell to just 138 by September 2025. This enormous decline is at least partly a direct result of our work. We learned this from the border veterinarians, with whom we had an interesting conversation thanks to a permit from the mayor of Edirne.
The veterinarians explained to us that part of the decline is due to the import ban on pregnant heifers. This was introduced after we, together with our partner organization “Animals' Angels” and German filmmaker Manfred Karremann, made public the case of the 69 pregnant heifers last year. The German breeding cattle had to die in agony in the fall of 2024 after being denied entry due to a case of bluetongue in their state of origin.
The new rule has been in force since January 2025. It stipulates that breeding cattle may not be transported across the border if they are pregnant and must be between four and twelve months old. This measure shows that public pressure and our continuous work are having an effect. Nevertheless, there is still much to be done to ensure that animal transports at Europe's borders are no longer associated with suffering and uncertainty.
The official veterinarians cited the spread of animal diseases in Europe as another reason for the decline in border crossings of live animals from the EU. In addition, the head of the official veterinarians gave us further valuable insights into the current procedures on site, existing problems, and possible solutions to prevent tragedies like last year's from happening again in the future.
Animals must be unloaded
During our stay, we also observed and inspected a transporter belonging to a Romanian company. According to the driver, the truck carrying animals from Latvia was held at the border for two days due to tax issues. During this time, the animals were unloaded, given food and water, and the truck was freshly bedded down. The animals appeared healthy and had enough space to lie down. The fact that the animals now have to be unloaded if they are held at the border is also an achievement that can be attributed to our commitment, and one with which we are also pleased.
We discovered a technical defect in the vehicle: a partition wall was installed too high. This poses a risk of injury to animals because they could get stuck underneath it. We informed the driver about this problem. However, after filling up the water tank, he continued his journey without addressing our concern.
Our observations show that despite small steps forward, animal suffering remains a reality—and real improvements require joint efforts by the EU and Turkey.