... by date

08. May 2026

International Meeting on Horse Welfare: Sabrina Gurtner Visits Belwade Farm in Aberdeen

Sabrina Gurtner (back row, second from the right) with other horse advocates from various countries.

In mid-April, our project manager, Sabrina Gurtner, traveled to Aberdeen to meet with experts in horse welfare from across Europe. The event was organized by the Eurogroup for Animals—the umbrella organization for European animal welfare groups—and brought together 19 participants from various countries.

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21. April 2026

Police training is making a difference

During the workshop, we inspected 10 transport vehicles together with police officers and official veterinarians.

Last week, we trained the Saxony-Anhalt State Police in identifying violations of animal transport regulations. At the same time, during a large-scale inspection in Germany, over 70 percent of the transports were found to be in violation—proof of what trained eyes can achieve.

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17. April 2026

Report on the suffering of blood mares and the current political debate in Switzerland

The online portal “Infosperber” provides a detailed report on the “torture hormone” PMSG in a new article and also addresses the current political debate over a legal ban on PMSG in Switzerland. The article explicitly references our research and explains why extracting the hormone from the blood of pregnant mares causes significant animal…

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02. April 2026

Lamb transports before Easter: Broken legs, no water, barely any space

Together with Essere Animali we checked lamb transports on the way to Italian slaughterhouses.

Together with the Italian organization Essere Animali, we inspected long-distance transports of lambs to Italy shortly before Easter. In the process, we documented numerous violations of the animal transport regulations—including, for example, injured animals that were transported despite having broken legs. We filed complaints against two…

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25. February 2026

Open letter: Iceland must consistently apply EU law in the horse blood industry

Together with partner organizations, we are calling for the consistent enforcement of EU law in the Icelandic horse blood industry in an open letter. For us, it is clear that blood collection from pregnant mares for PMSG is not a secondary agricultural activity, but a scientific procedure in accordance with the EU/EEA Directive – and must therefore…

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23. February 2026

Instead of traveling 9,000 kilometers over land and sea: 164 Danish cattle are flown to Kazakhstan.

The young cattle from Denmark in the barn in the Czech Republic before departure.

In November 2025, young Danish heifers were to be transported from Czechia to Kazakhstan on a journey of around 9,000 kilometers—across several countries, by road and sea. We prepared to document one of the longest routes we had ever researched. But the mission took an unexpected turn.

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13. February 2026

Media focuses on debate about the age of animal transport ships

Several maritime trade media outlets are currently reporting on the debate about the age of cargo ships used for animal transport. We and other animal welfare organizations have been pointing out for years that outdated and technically deficient vessels endanger the lives of animals and crew during transport. We have already published several…

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04. February 2026

Controlling animal transports in sub-zero temperatures

These piglets are transported from Denmark to Poland in conditions that are far too cramped.

In sub-zero winter temperatures, we joined forces with French NGO Welfarm to inspect animal transports on a major Polish highway. Our observations once again highlight the problematic conditions faced by many animals on Europe's roads.

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01. February 2026

Vessel "Darla" remains in port for the time being – our intervention is having an effect

The livestock transport ship “Darla” is currently docked at the port in Cartagena. (Archive photo)

On Wednesday, the livestock carrier "Darla" was scheduled to set sail for Algeria with almost 8,000 sheep on board – despite bad weather. Our warning to the authorities has stopped the ship for now, but the case shows once again that current EU regulations for animal transport by sea are inadequate, scientific findings are being ignored, and…

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