fight back and may be maimed, blinded or hoisted to the ceiling by their legs. All may be beaten or kicked.

 

Cattle shipped to the EU may continue to a third country. Now unprotected by EU rules animals have been recorded by journalists as being without food and water for long periods, sometimes dying on the onward journey and arriving at their destination filthy, injured or standing on the carcasses of animals that have died. In the summer months the ships can be very hot causing further discomfort for the animals.

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The Irish government and the IFA (Irish Farmers Association) are have planned to increase shipments to third world countries including Turkey, Libya, Algeria and Egypt. These countries have no animal welfare legislation in place and practice inhumane methods of slaughter that include being:

1. hoisted to the ceiling by one rear leg when fully conscious and slaughtered.

2. deliberately injured, tendons cut to restrict movement when handling.

3. restrained fully conscious bulls hacked to slit their throats.

4 restrained and hit with a sledgehammer.

5. blinded by being stabbed in the eyes.

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Slaughter practices in Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa are immensely cruel. They are, moreover in breach of the international standards on welfare at slaughter of the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health). Furthermore, Article 13 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU provides that the EU and the Member States must "pay full regard to the welfare requirements of animals". Sending animals to countries in which they will be slaughtered in ways that are cruel and in breach of international standards on animal welfare does not "pay full regard to the welfare requirements of animals".

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