Investigations by Topics:

14. December 2022

Poland: Live transport inspections together with the Road Transport Police (ITD)

Our team watches the road for live transports together with the Polish road transport police (ITD).

Our team again joins the Road Transport Police (ITD) for animal welfare inspections of live transports. This time we are inspecting live transports crossing Eastern Poland. Two days of joint inspections resulted in interesting observations. Despite very cold weather we inspected national as well as and long-distance transports of live animals.

The…

03. November 2022

How the scandalous livestock carrier ELBEIK became a ghost ship

In March 2021, the livestock carrier ELBEIK made international headlines: with almost 1,800 young bulls on board, the vessel wandered the Mediterranean for almost three months. The animals were detained on the ELBEIK because of suspected bluetongue virus. 179 animals did not survive the cruel transport, the remaining animals were taken to the…

25. October 2022

BTSF: Training for official veterinarians in the EU on live transports

Our project manager and BTSF-tutor Maria Boada Saña knows from her experience in the field what official veterinarians need to considered during live transport inspections.

This week we were working for the animals as trainers tutors at the Better Training for Safer Food (BTSF)  a European Commission training initiative aimed to improve knowledge about animal welfare. BTSF trains official veterinarians so that they can ensure compliance with and monitor animal protection laws regarding live transports.

Our project…

19. October 2022

Joint live transport inspections with the Polish road transport police (ITD)

Together with the Polish road transport police IDT our team is on the lookout for live transports.

Our team is driving to Gorzow in Western Poland to join the road transport police (ITD) for animal welfare inspections of live transports. During two shifts, we inspect six vehicles in total.

Among them, two trucks with German pigs being transported for slaughter, two vehicles with Danish piglets on board on journeys exceeding 8 hours for further…

21. September 2022

800 young bulls stranded in the Mediterranean Sea. Is their emergency killing now imminent?

Recordings from our investigations: Animals are being loaded on the vessel NADER-A in a European export port.

Almost three weeks ago, the animals were shipped from France to Algeria. There, the unloading of the animals was refused due to a bureaucratic problem. Since then, the bulls have been wandering the Mediterranean, penned up on a 45-year-old junk ship, the Nader-A. Up until now we do not know how many animals are still alive. We suspect that the…

28. June 2022

Live transport inspection: Unweaned calves form Germany enroute to Spain

For the first time, our team is observing how calves are supplied on a truck with electrolyte solution using a new drinking system.

Our team covertly trails a German transporter carrying unweaned calves to Spain. We are accompanied by an official veterinarian. After eight hours the drivers stopp in France to supply the calves with electrolyte solution. The majority of the calves is using the mobile drinking system.

We are positively surprised to observe for the first time the…

25. June 2022

Investigation in the Spanish Port of Cartagena: Loading of cattle on export vessels from Spain to Egypt

Our team is not allowed to enter the port and works from a distance.

The port of Cartagena in Spain is one of the most important export ports. From there, European animals are transported to countries outside the EU. In mid-June, our team observes the loading of bovine animals onto export ships. Our partner organisations Animals International and Verein Gegen Tierfabriken are with us.

The vessels JULIA AK (built…

29. April 2022

Police Training: Seminar on the inspection of live transports

Our project manager Iris Baumgärtner holds a presentation together with official veterinarian Dr Claudia Eggert-Satzinger on the protection of animals during transport.

Following the invitation of Dr. Madeleine Martin from the Hessian Ministry of Environment, Climate Protection, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, our project manager Iris Baumgärtner holds a presentation on animal welfare problems during live transports. She is supported by Dr Claudia Eggert-Satzinger, an official veterinarian with many years of…

10. February 2022

Czech Republic | Rozvadov | Transport of calves to Spain

Looking for food, the hungry calves keep licking each other and the bars.

Not an individual case: Calves are fed insufficiently at control posts (supply stables) in France on a regular basis. Our investigations from the last years prove this.

The same is true today. Our team is accompanied by journalists and Caroline Roose, Member of the European Parliament. We observe a transport of calves on its way from the Czech…