Today our training team (Eyes on Animals and Animal Welfare Foundation inspectors and Dr. Rabitsch, an Austrian veterinarian and expert transport inspector) was in Szczecin to give a theory and practical training course to the official road inspectors from the WITD as well as two official veterinarians from the regional office.
From 9:00 until 13:30 our team presented the EC 1/2005 legislative requirements on the protection of animals during transport. The training course consists of power point presentations, activities, videos and question and answer periods. The participants were extremely interested and motivated, many of which had stopped livestock trucks before but needed some extra information.
After a quick lunch we headed out onto the road to stop livestock trucks passing by. This afternoon two Polish trucks transporting pigs to the slaughterhouse in Szczecin were controlled. Several violations were detected. The dividers had not been placed on the bottom floor. Both trucks also had certificates of approval to transport horses and cattle too, although their vehicles were not designed in an acceptable way for these species. The Pezzaioli water troughs were too narrow and not deep enough for adult cattle to adequately drink from and the dividers cannot be placed solid to the floor on the main level, leading to serious injuries when bovine and horses get trapped underneath. As well, the time of departure was not indicated in their transport documents. For this reason, the WTID will send their official report to the local veterinarian office and request that the certificates of means of transport be reviewed and a warning sent out for not indicating the time of departure.
