INVESTIGATION INTO TRANSPORTS OF LIVE ANIMALS FROM ...

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Transport of pigs from Spain to Italy, 28.-29.01.2006 1.2 Regarding insufficient bedding It must be presumed that the veterinary service in Spain was either not present during loading operations or did not pay the necessary attention to the requirement to use appropriate bedding. (please see point II.5). 2. Undue suffering of pigs The transporter transported the animals in a way which caused them undue suffering - as the permitted maximum journey time of 24 hours was exceeded - as the pigs did not have continuous access to water - as a pig with an insured hind leg was transported - as insufficient bedding was used to absorb the excrements and to guarantee the animals’ welfare; in particular the pigs loaded on the first deck were standing in manure; also with regard to the low temperatures (0°Celsius at time of first observation) the animals should have been provided with an extra quantity of bedding. This constitutes a violation of Art. 5, section A, paragraph 1, lit. b of Council Directive 91/628 EEC as amended by Council Directive 95/29 EC. 3. Maximum permitted journey time exceeded After a maximum journey time of 24 hours pigs must be rested at an approved staging point for at least 24 hours before the transport is continued. It was not possible to verify beyond doubt the realistic date and time of departure, as the indications on route plan and health certificate differed from each other and both differed from the statement made by the drivers. Animals’ Angels therefore considers the date and time of departure as mentioned in the appropriate field on the route plan (field no. 8) as the information, which has to be relied on. The Italian police and veterinarians during the control in Italy also took this date and time as a reference. According to this the pigs were transported for over 36 hours at time of police control in Northern Italy and were still 810 km away from destination. As well, if the verbal statement of the drivers is taken into consideration, which was that the pigs were loaded “in the morning of 28.01.06”, the maximum permitted journey time of 24 hours, was already exceeded at time of police control in Northern Italy. The transporter did not unload and rest the pigs at an approved staging point after the maximum permitted journey time of 24 hours and he did not plan to do so, either. This constitutes a violation of Art. 3 paragraph 1, lit. aa, second indent of Council Directive 91/628 EEC as amended by Council Directive 95/29 EC in connection with Chapter VII, point 4, lit b and point 5 of the Annex. Animals’ Angels can confirm that on the 28.01.06 there were strong snow falls in the North-East part of Spain. It is therefore possible, as stated by the drivers, that several hours of delay were caused during transport due to the bad weather conditions there. The transport company, however, should have consequently taken the appropriate steps, which would have been to either return to the place of departure or to unload the pigs after the maximum journey time of 24 hours. Instead the transport company intended to continue the journey directly to destination. 4. No continuous access to water For transport of pigs continuous access to water is required, if the journey time exceeds 8 hours. This requirement was not respected as the water tank of the truck was found to be empty. This constitutes a violation of Art. 3, paragraph 1, lit. aa, second indent of Council Directive 91/628 EEC as amended by Council Directive 95/29 EC in connection with Chapter VII, point 4, lit. b of the Annex, as well as a violation of Art. 1 of Council Regulation (EC) 411/98 in connection with number 6.2 of the Annex. ______________________________________________________________________________________ Place and date of report: Freiburg, 09.03.2006 © Copyright Animals’ Angels e.V. ……. 42
5. Insufficient bedding material Transport of pigs from Spain to Italy, 28.-29.01.2006 For transport of animals exceeding 8 hours it is required that there is sufficient bedding on the floor of the vehicle. In the present case the pigs were not provided with appropriate bedding material to ensure adequate absorption of urine and dung and to guarantee their comfort. The quantity of bedding must also depend on the weather conditions; in consideration of the low temperatures (0°Celsius at time of first observation) and the snow falls the bedding material would have also been needed to keep the pigs warmer and to absorb the water resulting from the melted snow, that entered the compartments where animals were loaded. Especially the floor of the first deck of the truck was covered with faeces and water. This constitutes a violation of Art. 5, section A, paragraph 1, lit. c of Council Directive 91/628 EEC as amended by Council Directive 95/29 EC in connection with Chapter VII, point 3, first indent of the Annex, as well as a violation of Art. 1 of Council Regulation (EC) 411/98 in connection with number 1 of the Annex. 6. Truck not equipped with a system to collect excrements – excrements poured on the street This constitutes a risk to the spreading of diseases. III. OTHER ITEMS It is a well known fact that foreign transport companies in almost all cases do not pay the fines for violations of animal welfare during transport legislation issued in Italy against them. The fact that the transport company was fined with 18.588 Euros is therefore no incentive for the transport company to carry out legal transports in the future. Animals’ Angels therefore encourages the competent authorities of the Member States concerned as well as the Commission of the European Union to take appropriate action to solve this problematic. Footage taken: yes Faeces and water instead of bedding – this photo was Pigs covered in faeces and dirt taken after the driver had opened the door and most of the faces and water had already poured on the street ______________________________________________________________________________________ Place and date of report: Freiburg, 09.03.2006 © Copyright Animals’ Angels e.V. ……. 43
Page 1 and 2: INVESTIGATION INTO TRANSPORTS OF LI
Page 3 and 4: Transport of pigs from Spain to Ita
Page 9 and 10: Transport of horses from Spain to I
Page 19 and 20: It is extremely dangerous to drive
Page 21 and 22: Horse squeezed between two others C
Page 23 and 24: programmed staging point not indica
Page 41: Transport of pigs from Spain to Ita
Page 51 and 52: Transport of lambs from Spain to It
Page 53 and 54: Police calls the official veterinar
Page 55: Photo 4 Photo 5 Julia Havenstein Ch

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