A lamb in a meadow (illustration). - Pixabay

The rapid transport routes set up by Brussels to allow the exchange of goods between European Union (EU) countries, despite the constraints linked to the Covid-19 epidemic, are denounced by an animal protection NGO. She rebels in the face of the “horror suffered” by the three million lambs transported to Europe before Easter.

As the Easter holidays approach, the associations Animal Welfare Foundation and Tierschutzbund Zürich publish a survey on the conditions of transport of sheep, including lambs 🐑 We still find violations of European regulations there ➡️ https://t.co / 0xvsYl9M69 pic.twitter.com/Q9TXbLh50y

- CIWF France (@CIWF_FR) April 7, 2020

A video survey by the Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF), released on Tuesday, shows the difficult transport conditions for these lambs. Often very young and not weaned, they are massively crowded into trucks over very long distances, up to more than 2,000 kilometers.

Relaxation of controls

As a result of the Covid-19 epidemic, the European Commission has taken measures to facilitate the movement of goods and animals. It "thus drastically relaxed control procedures, by simplifying formalities, setting up expressways for the transport of animals, reducing veterinary and administrative controls" explains AWF.

She deplores that these measures "open the way to many abuses in this period of crisis". Faced in particular with the “lack of available drivers”, “there is a great temptation to overload the trucks to compensate for the losses to the detriment of the animals”, adds the NGO. This mainly concerns transfers of live animals between Hungary, Romania and Italy.

Nearly 400,000 lambs exported each year

“France takes part in this trade since it is the third European producer of sheepmeat and exports each year nearly 375,000 lambs, including 50,000 to Italy. At the same time, it imports 241,000, especially during the Easter holidays, ”adds the NGO.

For France, the Interprofession of Interbev meat replied Tuesday evening that the country does not import unweaned lambs and that the national consumption of lamb meat, at Easter, was not from non-weaned animals. weaned. In addition, the lambs sector "is currently making progress on collective tools to continue improving animal protection in animal husbandry and during animal transport," says Interbev.

Planet

Nearly 900,000 pangolins sold illegally worldwide in twenty years, according to an NGO

World

Coronavirus: NGO Peta asks WHO to impose closure on live animal markets

  • Society
  • Animals
  • Animal protection
  • Europe
  • Ng
  • Lamb