Press Reports

23. May 2023

How Spain became a big player in trading live animals internationally

From the outside, the Spanish port of Cartagena may look like any other port. Trucks, containers and ships rushing back and forth. But behind the facade hides a cruel business. Besides Tarragona, Cartagena is the only port in Spain involved in the export of live animals.

Spain is the largest exporter of live cattle in Europe and the second largest…

17. March 2022

8,000 animals stranded at sea: Eurogroup for Animals reports on our latest investigation

Together with our partner organisations, Compassion in World Farming (CIWF), and Animals International (AI) our investigative teams have witnessed how an old, former cargo ship with nearly 8,000 animals on board needed to be replaced while at sea. Inadequate European legislation and its poor implementation regularly lead to prolonged suffering of…

20. August 2021

The Guardian: Live animal exports are being used as cover by smugglers

There is a suspicion that livestock carriers could be used for drug smuggeling. The Guardian reports:  

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23. March 2021

Eurogroup for Animals reports about our research on Elbeik

"The animals on board the Elbeik vessel will soon be relieved from their sufferings. The vessels reached Cartagena (Spain) last Thursday with 1,600 animals still alive on board. Since the vessel left Tarragona last December heading to Libya, 189 animals have already died. 

10 dead bodies were still on board when the Elbeik docked at Cartagena,…

16. March 2021

Livestock carrier Elbeik with 1,700 calves on bord stuck at sea since three months

The odyssey of the European calves stuck on the livestock carrier Elbeik continues. After the Elbeik left the Spanish port of Cartagena in December, it is now returning back to European waters.

In January our teams discovered the animal welfare scandal and have been working non-stop to find a solution for the animals ever since. We suspect that…

08. March 2021

International media coverage about live export tragedies Karim Allah and Elbeik

Our team uncovered two scandals surrounding live transport by sea. Once again, the livestock carrier Karim Allah is involved - a vessel which we have been complaining about since 2017, as well as another livestock vessel with the name Elbeik. For several months several thousand animals were stuck on both vessels. After discovering this tragedy, we…

08. March 2021

"Dods" reports about horsemeat imports from cruel production overseas

The news agency "Dods" which is directed at Members of the EU Parliament is reporting on our investigations regarding horsemeat form cruel production overseas. We have been presenting our research beforehand to a group of MEPs in a webinar hosted by the "Intergroup for Animals". für EU-  

Read the full article here (PDF) 

08. March 2021

The Brussels Times reports on horsemeat imports from torturous production overseas

The Brussels Times reports on horsemeat imports from torturous production overseas for the EU and Switzerland. Due to our persistent investigations and publications the import of horsemeat to Switzerland decreased by 75 %. Now more EU countries must follow.  

Read the article here