For over two months, nearly three thousand calves have been travelling aboard two ships through the Mediterranean, with no destination and in terrible conditions.
Update of 23/02/2021
Animal Equality has informed us that the Ministry of Health and numerous other Italian authorities, alerted by the associations, had arranged a full official inspection, but the Karim Allah suddenly decided to leave Italian waters and is now off the port of Cartagena, in Spain.
Trapped for months. That is the reality facing thousands of calves, crammed since December aboard two ships travelling through the Mediterranean with no destination. It is the chilling truth of live animal transport, with animals treated as mere objects to be moved from one country to another, headed towards certain death. Although these journeys are governed by European laws that should – at least in theory – protect their welfare, the reality is very different and dramatically far removed from that ideal. The cases of two Spanish ships, reported last week by several associations for serious violations in the transport of thousands of calves, are a stark example of this.
For over two months, nearly three thousand calves have been travelling through the Mediterranean with no destination and in terrible conditions. They are on board the Spanish ships Elbeik and Karim Allah, two vessels holding European authorisations to carry out these journeys, which were supposed to bring the animals to slaughterhouses in Libya and Turkey. Due to a zoonotic disease contracted by the cattle, several ports turned the two ships away; after various stops, they are now moored off the coast of Cyprus and in the port of Cagliari respectively.
In an attempt to save their lives, Animal Equality, together with Animal welfare foundation and Enpa, have decided to take legal action against the ship anchored in Italian waters, the Karim Allah, which is carrying more than 800 calves on its own, and to report the situation to the Ministry of Health, the Public Prosecutor's Office of Cagliari and the Cagliari Harbour Authority, calling for immediate intervention assisted by a qualified veterinarian. Leading the legal battle is lawyer Manuela Giacomini.
The ship had, in fact, declared to the Sardinian authorities that it was carrying only animal feed, when just a few days earlier it had declared to the port authorities of Augusta, in Sicily, where it had tried to stop, that it was carrying live animals.
For this reason, the associations are considering two scenarios: "Either the ship is lying and has therefore been transporting thousands of cattle for months in horrifying conditions while making false declarations, or it has dumped the bodies of animals that died during the voyage at sea. In either case, these are extremely serious violations."
Animal Welfare Foundation has already reported the issue to the relevant European authorities, as part of numerous complaints already filed in recent months in support of dossiers under examination in Europe against precisely these unjust journeys, which are often carried out in complete violation of European and national regulations.
"This is the latest in a long series of scandals involving the transport of animals by sea," MEP Tilly Metz told the Guardian. "After the tragedy of the Queen Hind in 2019, which capsized with over 14,000 sheep on board, 2,600 cattle are now stranded on these ships moving from port to port in search of help. How is it possible that there is no emergency protocol in the event of disease or unforeseen circumstances?"
And yet, despite the obvious human shortcomings – even before the technical ones –, live animal transport is permitted throughout the EU, whether by sea or by other means. Some countries import hundreds of animals from across Europe and then export them to third countries. This is the case with calves, which are regarded as little more than by-products in countries where milk production is high but their meat is not consumed. These animals, which in many cases have not yet been weaned, are transported on long and gruelling journeys, only to be slaughtered or shipped by sea to third countries where they will be killed by methods considered unacceptable or even illegal within European territory.
According to data published by Animal Equality, Spain is the leading European country for cattle exports and the second, after Romania, for sheep exports. In 2019, live animal exports increased by 28 per cent compared to 2018, when almost one million cattle and sheep were shipped by sea. These figures, the association reports, will be even higher in 2020, as the sector aims to offset the fall in domestic consumption caused by the Covid-19 crisis through exports.
When one reads the details of this story, one cannot help but feel compassion, sorrow and sadness for those 2,600 lives. One cannot help but hope they are saved. These are natural feelings that allow us to see them as living beings. Perhaps some people can almost imagine their suffering and understand how wrong all of this is. We should make the effort to remember that always, not just for the five minutes in which we hear their story.