Shocking Investigation Findings Reveal Abuse of Animals Exported From EU

Eyewitness footage recorded by Animals International has revealed that animals exported from Ireland and other EU countries have been subjected to barbaric cruelty in Turkey and the Middle East.

The investigation documented that cows and sheep were kicked, beaten, and thrown onto crowded and filthy transport ships. Electric prods were used to shock the animals in the anus in order to force them to move along. Cows raised in Ireland are shown arriving in Turkey after the harrowing journey, covered from head to toe with faeces. Once animals reach their final destination, they endure a terrifying and painful death. Their throats are roughly cut open, often while they’re still conscious.

The footage is so shocking that MEPs from several countries – including Finland, France, and Germany – have called for animal-protection legislation to be strengthened and enforced more rigorously.

These shocking revelations should be the final frontier for the European commission to take this seriously. We need EU strategy on this issue. Better law enforcement, agreement with supervision on slaughtering practices, with the goal of ending the transportation of living animals for slaughter to third countries.
– Sirpa Pietikäinen, President of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals

What You Can Do

Last year, PETA warned that a new live-export deal between Ireland and Turkey would force thousands of calves to undergo a gruelling journey and a violent death. Please speak out for cows now by urging Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to end live exports.

Take Action in Ireland

Jo-Anne McArthur | We Animals