They were meant to be slaughtered in Saudi Arabia, most likely according to the Islamic halal ritual, which requires the animal's throat to be cut without prior stunning. Instead, they died drowning in the icy waters of the Black Sea, off the Romanian coast. Such was the fate of around 14,600 sheep, victims of the sinking of the cargo vessel Queen Hind, which capsized on 24 November last, shortly after leaving the port of Midia, in Romania.

[vimeo url="https://player.vimeo.com/video/375373117″]Video Cano Cristales[/vimeo]

The causes of the sinking

The crew members, 21 in total, were rescued, but of the nearly 15,000 sheep on board only 33 are reported to have survived. The causes of the vessel's capsizing are still being investigated; it appears, however, that the ship, which was not designed for the transport of live animals, was excessively overloaded.

Read also: Dominion, il documentario che squarcia il velo sul nostro rapporto distorto con gli animali

Journeys of death

The incident has brought the issue of long-distance animal transport back to the fore. Endings of this kind are uncommon; what is guaranteed, however, is the suffering endured by the animals during these interminable journeys towards death, crammed into cramped spaces, suffocated by the heat or exposed to the elements.

Read also: Il violento carico dei polli verso il macello

The dominion we exercise over other species through violence is well known, and still widely tolerated; it is nonetheless unacceptable that animals continue to be treated as animated commodities. This is also in light of Article 13 of the Treaty of Lisbon, according to which "In formulating and implementing the Union's agriculture, fisheries, transport, internal market, research and technological development and space policies, the Union and the Member States shall, since animals are sentient beings, pay full regard to the welfare requirements of animals".

Banning long-distance transport

Following this tragedy, animal rights activists from numerous organisations, including Animals International, have once again called for a ban on the export of live animals from Europe to non-EU countries. The associations point out, in particular, that in this type of export it is impossible to verify whether the requirements imposed by the EU on transport and slaughter are actually being complied with. Yet, despite growing public interest in animal welfare, exports outside the Old Continent continue to rise: between 2000 and 2018, the value of exports more than tripled.

Romania's role

Romania is the third largest sheep farmer in the EU, after Great Britain and Spain, and exports primarily to countries in the Middle East. The welfare of its animals does not appear to be among the country's top priorities: last July, for example, it ignored a request from the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis, not to send a consignment of 70,000 sheep to Kuwait due to excessively high temperatures.

Read also: Viterbo, pecore e capre uccise senza stordimento e torturate, la denuncia di Animal Equality

The death of the fourteen thousand six hundred sheep who drowned in the Black Sea reminds us that farmed animals are the last among the last, not even granted an end that entails the least possible suffering, and that we can no longer afford to ignore the condition of the animals exploited for our benefit.