Long Distance Transport and Welfare of Farm Animals

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WSPA HWC Report 36pp Text:WSPA HWC Report 36pp Text 14/1/08 13:35 Page 26SPOTLIGHT ONASIAMeat consumption and live animal transport areincreasing across Asia. Research shows that, in additionto long journeys, the animals are often subjected tolong periods without food or water, rough handling andovercrowding.Some very practical steps in Government and State planning couldfundamentally reduce the distances which animals need to travel, andpositively influence the welfare of farmed animals in Asia. These couldinclude, for example, the provision of regional slaughterhouses, processingand refrigerated transport facilities which would boost local economies inmore rural provinces.FORCED WEIGHT IN CHINADue to its massive size, China is the world’s biggest market for meat anddairy products, and its live transport industry overshadows that of any othercountry. Long distance live transport routes criss-cross the entire Chinesemainland.Many of the general purpose transporters, and even some specialised livestocktransporters, are known to handle animals very roughly during transport.One of the worst practices that has come to light is the forced watering orforce-feeding of slaughter animals with mud and stones in order to increasetheir slaughter weight.Death from exhaustion, lack of space and water and exposure to severeweather conditions is common, and explains the continued existence, andhuman health hazard, of an illegal trade in dead animals at some ofGuangzhou’s slaughterhouses.Although existing Chinese laws currently fall short of OIE transport standards,compliance with improved health and welfare codes is becoming anincreasingly important Government policy issue for both domestic andexport markets.Countries acrossAsia are developinglegislationto protect thewelfare of animals,but much more isneeded to bringlaws up to OIEstandards andto ensureenforcement.DR LISA COLLINS,COMPASSION INWORLD FARMING26 BEYOND CRUELTY. BEYOND REASON. LONG DISTANCE TRANSPORT AND WELFARE OF FARM ANIMALS.
WSPA HWC Report 36pp Text:WSPA HWC Report 36pp Text 14/1/08 13:35 Page 27CATTLE OUT OF INDIAMost Indian states have banned cattle slaughter for religious and moralreasons, but this leads to many of these animals being cruelly transported toKerala and West Bengal, or exported to Pakistan and Bangladesh instead.Poor handling sees the animals loaded onto trucks by goading, or twisting orbiting of tails. Once inside the trucks, many cattle are held with their piercednoses and tails tied to the top of the trucks. The animals are unable to movefor the entire duration of the journey, which can often exceed 24 hours. Often,the animals receive neither water nor feed en route. Unloading at the slaughterhouseis performed by employing the same poor procedures as at loading.The Animal Welfare Board of India, alongside a number of animal welfareorganisations, have been gathering evidence of widespread abuse of cattle,buffaloes, sheep and goats used for meat and leather in various parts of thecountry. Their findings show high levels of overcrowding leading to severeinjuries and fatalities, with animals gouged by horns or crushed.Despite directives from the State Government, the evidence suggests littleimprovement has been made, and corruption, reported to occur at many levelsin the sub-continent, contributes to the lack of enforcement of regulationsgoverning live transport.BEYOND CRUELTY. BEYOND REASON. LONG DISTANCE TRANSPORT AND WELFARE OF FARM ANIMALS. 27
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Long Distance Transport and Welfare of Farm Animals

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