We return to the blood farm of Fernando Perdigón in the hinterland of Maldonado. On the way there, we see groups of horses grazing on forest clearings. Among the mares, there are also a few stallions. Spring is the time of the year when the mares are covered. The new extraction season is about to start and some mares already look pregnant. We note…

In the early morning, two gauchos on horseback move about 200 horses from the pastures into the holding pens of the blood farm. Another worker is observed hanging empty blood bags over a fence to dry. At 8:35, three employees start moving horses from the holding pens towards the building, using wooden sticks. They are hitting the horses repeatedly,…

Animal Welfare Foundation/ Tierschutzbund Zuerich and Eyes on Animals have one team on each side of the border of Bulgaria and Turkey. This week the temperatures are extremely high, with a peak of 43°C.  Since years we have been sending reports and complaints to the EU Commission and the Member States about the immense animal welfare problems…

In June our FAS team in Poland visited 15 farms. They trimmed hooves of 11 horses and claws of 5 cows. In Czajecice our farriers were surprised by a cow who had no problems with having her front legs picked at all. In Debno Michal and Bogdan visited a well-organized farm, where cows have access to a meadow and can move and walk untied. Another…

Today teams from Eyes on Animals and TSB|AWF began inspecting EU livestock trucks passing the Bulgarian border and trying to enter Turkey. First we checked on Petline and Meat & Milk stables on the Turkish side, because we received information that 22 trucks with fattening cattle on board (in total approx 500 cattle) from the Czech Republic were…

From 16th to 17th of June, teams from AWF|TSB trailed three transports with calves from Lithuania and from Poland to Spain and to the Netherlands. All transports were carrying unweaned calves in the age of less than 8 weeks. Those animals are still depending on milk, milk replacer or electrolyte solution and on special feeding equipment and…

In May, our Polish farriers visited 32 farms. Most of them are visited by our team regularly. Michal & Bogdan have trimmed hooves of 39 horses, claws of 6 cows and 1 bull. Ten horses were dewormed and one treated for skin infection. A few animals needed trimming because they were limping; two horses had very neglected hooves. Our farriers visited a…

Today we are going to a control point at a highway with the first group of participants of our training, to exercise in practice what was discussed yesterday during the theory. ITD (Road Transport Inspectors) are providing their professional and kind help. Two transports are inspected, both national, under 8 hours and carrying pigs. No major…

Today we are giving a training requested by Regional Veterinary Inspection in Katowice. This is our first training for Veterinary Officials in Poland, we are very happy that our trainings for ITD (Road Transport Inspection) are having such a broad effect. We have a lot of participants: about 100 Veterinary Officials are participating (Regional…