The two trucks of the companies Interexpres and Verbert with cattle from Austria, which have arrived at the border the previous day at 4 o’clock in the morning, still have to wait the whole day for the authorization to drive on. The problem is that the buyer of the animals has not yet paid the import duty. Only when the amount has been transferred, the customs officials check the transports. Our team urges the drivers not to let the pregnant heifers wait on board of the trucks but unload them at the feeding station. However, the drivers say that the buyer is not willing to take over the costs for the unloading, and neither are they.
The sick cow, which was given veterinary treatment the day before, seems to feel better today, but we can still hear a slight panting. Several cows have mucus dripping out of their noses. The trucks are quite crowded and the animals cannot all lie down at the same time. The conditions inside the vehicles are deteriorating during the day. Until the evening, the bedding is wet and very dirty. The cows are hungry and some start eating their dirty bedding. We urge the drivers to feed the animals, but they simply reply that their feed stock is empty and they would anyway be able to drive on shortly.
Only late in the evening, the two transporters finally continue their long journey. The pregnant heifers had to wait 40 hours at the Turkish border, tightly packed in dirty vehicles and without getting enough food. We are going to send a complaint to the competent authorities.
