Bluetongue has broken out among 2,671 cattle aboard two large livestock transport ships in the Mediterranean Sea. The two animal transport ships are currently anchored off the coasts of Cyprus and Sardinia.
The ships were en route to Libya, but during the sea transport bluetongue erupted. The Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food states that the animals left the country with health certificates. The cattle come from areas free of bluetongue.
The outbreak of the disease has fatal consequences for the animals. Both Cypriot and Spanish authorities are not intervening for various reasons. Animal protection organizations fear that the still living animals on board are going through a true hell.
The 2,671 calves and cows were intended for export to the Middle East but have now been drifting since mid-December on the two cargo ships Elbeik and Karim Allah.
The ships departed from Spanish ports in December but were denied entry in Turkey upon arrival due to suspicion of bluetongue. The ships then sailed to Libya but were also not allowed to dock there, after which they returned toward Europe.
Animal rights activists in several countries are now demanding veterinary inspection of the sick animals on board. On Thursday morning, a special investigative committee of the European Parliament will debate current EU rules on the transport of live animals over long distances within the European Union. Six experts will help expose current practices of long-distance live animal transport within the EU.
The Party for the Animals is demanding in urgent questions to the European Commission that the animals be relieved of their suffering as soon as possible and that the transport licenses of both ships be revoked. The party has also once again called for a total ban on exporting live animals to countries outside the European Union.
Member of the European Parliament Anja Hazekamp calls it “incomprehensible” that there is no disaster plan in place for sea transports lasting weeks to months. “This is a true ordeal for the animals who have been on board these dilapidated and completely unsuitable ships for over two months, and no one intervenes.
As long as these kinds of barbaric transports are not yet banned, at least a disaster plan must be in place so that action can be taken if things go wrong,” says Hazekamp.
The MEP points out that this incident is not isolated. “This is yet another ship disaster where major problems arise and thousands of animals are deliberately placed in appalling situations. The European Commission only plans to start tightening rules for animal transports in 2023. We cannot leave animals to their fate all that time,” Hazekamp stated.