• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • EYES ON ANIMALS – Watching out for their Welfare
  • English
  • Nederlands
  • Deutsch

Eyes on Animals

Watching out for their Welfare

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
DONATE
  • About us
    • What we do
    • Our team
    • Key Figures
    • Contact
  • News
    • Latest news
    • Good news
    • Bad news
    • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Inspections
    • Farms
    • Markets
    • Transports
    • Slaughterhouses
    • Special projects
    • Other
  • Training
    • Police
    • Truck drivers
    • Poultry-catchers
    • Slaughter personnel
    • Training Material
    • Request a training
  • Industry Tips
    • Animal transport
      • Cattle
      • Pigs
      • Poultry
    • Slaughterhouses
      • Cattle
      • Pigs
      • Poultry
      • Ritual slaughter
    • Educational videos
  • Publications
    • In the media
      • Print
      • Television
      • Radio
      • Videos
    • Newsletters
    • Special reports
    • Training Material
    • Annual reviews
  • Future Vision
  • Help us
Home » Our inspections » transport » Day 7 Inspections of EU animal trucks at the Turkish border

Day 7 Inspections of EU animal trucks at the Turkish border

July 1, 2012

28.06.2012_TR.IB.17_E6062EA_high_loading_density 

This morning we held a meeting with the Head of Customs and Head Veterinarian at the border. They both agreed that it was in the interest of the animals and of them that the animal trucks get processed as quickly as possible. The Turkish veterinarians now work longer hours and can be called at night if necessary. They also hope that within 10 months there will be a special place better suited for the livestock trucks to park inside the border, with a stall so there is the opportunity to unload animals too. We explained that in the meantime there is still the urgent need for more water sources where the animal trucks now wait, so the drivers can give their animals something to drink more often. The Chief of Customs agreed, made a quick phone call, and said that within a couple of days there will be 3 more hoses installed.

 

28.06.2012_TR.IB.17_E6062EA_truck_with_injured_legs__4 28.06.2012_TR.IB.17_E6062EA_truck_with_injured_legs_and_dead__21  

The rest of today was a very sad day at the border. After observing relatively good sheep transports yesterday, today came as a big disappointment. Two livestock trucks from the company Maria Livestock Express (Bulgarian) had been approved by the Bulgarian export vet and authorities at the Bulgarian border inspection post, despite the trucks and animals inside being in a very bad state. The animals on both trucks were seriously overcowded. The water system on one was not suitably-designed, with nipples placed on the outside, beyond reach of the animals inside. The trucks were old and not designed to protect animals from risk of injury. In fact, these trucks are not accepted in most other EU countries anymore because they are known to cause injuries to the legs of the animals. Both trucks had sheep with broken legs, due to the animals getting their legs trapped between the side wall of the truck and the floor. The suffering these sheep must have felt during the accident, and the hours they were left in this way, is unimaginable. We woke up the driver who grudgingly tried to help us release the legs of two of the sheep. Inside his truck there were also several dead sheep, likely due to the build up of ammonia and lack of space, air and water.

We called the chief Turkish veterinarian at the border to inform him of this suffering. He said he would send the truck to the small stable to be unloaded. When we arrived at the small stable, the private veterinarian (from Saturday) had been called so that the injured sheep could be checked. It still took 5 hours before the sheep passed the inside-border checks and could finally unload.

28.06.2012_TR.IB.17_E6062EA_truck_with_injured_legs__18 28.06.2012_TR.IB.17_E6062EA_truck_with_injured_legs_and_dead__28

The drivers were rough with the sheep; pushing them off and dragging them by their legs or pulling them by their ears. We called the transport company and insisted they fire these drivers. We will remain in contact with them to be sure they take responsibility for this suffering and put guidelines in place for driver conduct.

Many sheep fell down the steep unloading ramp, others tried to walk off but then collapsed. The veterinarian and workers of the stable identified the injured and sick ones and treated them as best as they could. We were told that they will all rest overnight, get some feed and a bit of water and the injured sheep will not be reloaded.

28.06.2012_TR.IB.17_E6062EA_dead_sheep__10 28.06.2012_TR.IB.17_E6062EA_truck_with_injured_legs_and_dead__36

28.06.2012_TR.IB.17_E6062EA_truck_with_injured_legs_and_dead__60 28.06.2012_TR.IB.17_E6062EA_truck_with_injured_legs_and_dead__54 
We would like to thank the Turkish chief veterinarian at the border and the workers of the stable for acting professionally and taking action to limit further suffering of these poor sheep. The private veterinarian also did a terrific job and had a heart for animals. 

We immediately alerted the Bulgarian authorities at the border to be more thorough in their checks for injured sheep and will send a more detailed complaint out to the transport company and Bulgarian and EU authorities as soon as we are back.

28.06.2012_TR.IB.17_OJ13KH_KeusenMollink_slaughter_bulls__7
Inside the border we also checked on several other trucks: Hunland carrying young calves (!- these animals need milk. We find it crazy that such fragile and young animals are being sent on long distance transports via this risky border crossing), “slaughter” bulls and sheep. Among them a truck from the Dutch/German company Keus en Mollink. We were very happy to see that the “slaughter” bulls inside and the truck were in much better shape then last they were last year by this company. The straw bedding was quite wet on the upper floor, but on the lower floor still dry and plentiful. The drivers had filled the water tank and the animals were drinking when we arrived. The drivers were also very cooperative and, when we made a suggestion to clean out one of the automatic water bowls that was dirty, did so right away. Nevertheless, they only had 3 small manual water buckets with them, we will ask their boss to equipe this truck with more.

  • share 
  • tweet 
  • share 
  • save 
  • email 

Filed Under: transport

Primary Sidebar

Search

Featured

Request for enforcement regarding long waiting periods in overheated trucks at VION slaughterhouses

Eyes on Animals has filed an enforcement request with the minister of farming, nature, and food … [Read More...] about Request for enforcement regarding long waiting periods in overheated trucks at VION slaughterhouses

Featured

New film on the fate of Irish unweaned calves on “illegal” export routes that EU tolerates

Ireland continues to break EU feeding laws for unweaned calves during transport when they export … [Read More...] about New film on the fate of Irish unweaned calves on “illegal” export routes that EU tolerates

Our most recent newsletter

Dear friends,

Despite the extreme heat and high humidity these last days still tens of thousands of pigs were transported to Dutch slaughterhouses. We visited the two largest: VION in Boxtel and VION in Apeldoorn. 

Read more…

Subscribe to our newsletter

Eyes on Animals op Twitter

eyes_on_animals Eyes on Animals @eyes_on_animals ·
7h

📌😳 Hoe vindt u zelf dat het gaat @minlnv? - Cijfers van de Ierse exportorganisatie Bord Bia tonen aan dat in de eerste zeven maanden van dit jaar ruim 95.000 kalveren van Ierland naar Nederland zijn verscheept tegen 48.000 kalveren in 2021. https://www.nieuweoogst.nl/nieuws/2022/08/15/nederland-grootste-importeur-van-ierse-kalveren #kalverleed

Reply on Twitter 1560019006790189057 Retweet on Twitter 1560019006790189057 7 Like on Twitter 1560019006790189057 8 Twitter 1560019006790189057
eyes_on_animals Eyes on Animals @eyes_on_animals ·
15h

📌🐓 En wéér 24.000 dieren vergast.#vogelgriep #pluimvee

Reply on Twitter 1559905802235830274 Retweet on Twitter 1559905802235830274 6 Like on Twitter 1559905802235830274 5 Twitter 1559905802235830274
eyes_on_animals Eyes on Animals @eyes_on_animals ·
17h

Vanmorgen waren wij op werkbezoek bij ⁦@VionFoodGroup⁩ in Boxtel waar we van gedachten hebben gewisseld over de problemen die zich voordoen tijdens hete dagen en hoe deze situatie kan worden verbeterd. #hittestress ##veetransport #slacht

Reply on Twitter 1559867595695788033 Retweet on Twitter 1559867595695788033 5 Like on Twitter 1559867595695788033 77 Twitter 1559867595695788033
Load More...

ANBI

Footer

Donate with Paypal

Paypal Eyes on Animals
One-time donation:
Monthly donation:

Reading Material

  • In the Media
  • Newsletters
  • Special EonA reports
  • Legislative texts
  • ANBI

Our Amsterdam Office

Amsterdam House Hotel
Eyes on Animals main office is in downtown Amsterdam, at the Amsterdam House Hotel. The generous and warm-hearted hotel owner donated to Eyes on Animals, free of charge, a beautiful room where our inspectors can work, hold meetings and store their material.

Copyright © 2022 · Eyes on Animals | Website by Webkompaan