200,000 cows, sheep, and other farmed animals crowded and packed together in sweltering conditions, starved to death on ships as their food ran out. They died a few months ago after waiting for the Suez Canal to reopen. Most of them came from Europe. [1]
All of this is due to the live export trade. Animals are subject to unimaginable suffering, crammed into ships and sent around the world, usually just to be slaughtered for meat and leather on arrival. [2]
New Zealand has already banned live export, and the UK is also planning to do so. As momentum builds for a global ban, the EU is investigating current rules on live export that could lead to an effective ban. [3]
What happened in the Suez Canal isn’t an isolated example of tragedies like this. In December 2020, nearly 3,000 calves left a Spanish port but were denied entry to several countries. They were stranded at sea for three months in shocking conditions, and eventually taken back to Spain for slaughter. [4] In November 2019, nearly 15,000 sheep drowned below deck when their ship capsized after leaving Romania. [5]
But even when there aren’t incidents like this, these journeys are still tragic. Animals are exported under severe stress, and may face extreme dehydration, exhaustion, hunger and death – even without unexpected delays and capsizing. Those that survive these grueling journeys often then face slaughter.