Together with our partner Animals’ Angels USA, we have been monitoring the horse feedlot in Shelby, Montana, for many years. The feedlot serves as the US assembly centre for Bouvry, the largest Canadian horse slaughterhouse. Our previous investigations have uncovered tremendous abuse and neglect.

We return to Shelby in October 2019 and observe the…

In a report by the Friedrich-Löffler-Institute (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, the license for a special vehicle for the long-distant transports of so called unweaned calves (2-8 weeks old) was denied. This vehicle type is equipped with pivot drinkers which were supposed to ensure that calves are provided with the supplies they…

Our lawyer, Manuela Giacomini, gave a speech at the meeting of the Committee on Petitions (PETI) of the EU parliament regarding the violations during sea transports of live animals which are subject of our petitions No. 0629 /2016 and No. 1231/2017. The issue of live exports by road was already discussed in 2018, after our petition on the systemic…

Whilst inspecting the cattle market we notice three cows with overgrown hooves. When we try to write down their ear tag numbers, we are blocked by the cows’ owner. He behaves nervously and loads his animals onto the truck. We are only able to take one picture and write down the registration number of one ear tag. We are going to report this case to…

First, our Farm Animal Service (FAS) team is called to a limping mare in Brody. During trimming we find an abscess in the hoof. It looks serious. We disinfect the abscess and put a special dressing on to protect the wound. Afterwards, the owner shows us that he has started to modernise the paddock for his horses. During our next visit, we are…

We receive information from a prosecutor in Opoczno regarding another case of a cow with an ingrown horn into its head. We documented it at Bodzentyn cattle market in December 2018   and as usual we reported the case to the police.

During the hearing, the defendant – a previous owner of the cow – was pleaded guilty and settled for the agreed…

We are informed about two injured cats that need help in the village Podmielowice. When we arrive, we find one animal with an open fracture of the hind leg and another with swollen testicles caused by injury. We are taking both cats to the veterinarian. After successful surgery both cats stay in the clinic.

A few days later we received the sad…

In March (12th-15th) and September (17th-20th) the first and second edition of an advanced level training course on animal welfare during transport took place in Rome (Italy) and Freising (Germany). The two four-day training courses were organised by "Better Training for Safer Food" (BTSF), an initiative by the European Commission. 

Attendants of…

Today we are in the court in Wloszczowa waiting for a judgment regarding a case of a cow with an ingrown horn in its head. We documented two injured animals at Lagow cattle market in September 2018. We sent a notification about the offence to the police. However, only one complaint was forwarded to the court by the police so far. The other case is…