Open letter – stop sending animals into a war zone

The trade must go on!

Despite the ongoing and escalating conflict in the region, large volumes of Irish cattle are still being exported to Israel, both directly from Ireland and via other member states.

Since October 2023, almost 9,000 young bulls have been shipped directly to Haifa from Greenore Port. In addition, an unknown number has been seen arriving there, just recently in shipments from Croatia and Slovenia, mixed in with cattle from Hungary and Lithuania. Irish cattle can easily be identified by their eartags.

Not only do these animals have to contend with a long sea journey, where they suffer from respiratory illness, ringworm, corneal ulcers, leg injuries, diarrhoea and varying degrees of heat stress, they are arriving in the middle of a war zone.

Rockets and air raid sirens

Sources at Haifa port have informed us that every day barrages of rockets fall on the port and surrounding areas where the quarantine centres and fattening farms are. The rockets are mostly intercepted by the dome, but the noise is horrendous and air raid sirens are constantly going off. Some of the rockets also get through, risking injury and harm to the animals and port workers.

It is beyond belief that any competent authority is still authorising shipments to Israel knowing these animals are being put at considerable risk. The noise from the rockets and air raid sirens alone must be terrifying for them. Furthermore, the workers at the port are also scared and want to complete the unloading quickly. Our sources say this pressure is causing them to be more impatient than usual with the animals and electric prods are being widely used to get the cattle off the ships as quickly as possible.

Dairy farms under attack

Reports claim that a number of dairy farms around Haifa have also been hit by Hezbollah missiles in recent weeks, killing large numbers of cows. If a dairy farm can be hit, so can a quarantine centre or fattening farm. It is clear that sending animals to Israel is sending them into extreme danger. A number of cows were also killed on a kibbutz some distance south of Haifa. Nowhere is safe!

There have been over 100 shipments of cattle and sheep from Europe to Israel so far this year.

Shockingly there has also been an unknown number of livestock exported to Lebanon since the fighting expanded in that region. It seems that nothing will hold back this cruel trade.

Commissioner Kyriakides – please suspend export to Israel and Lebanon

A joint letter signed by 10 NGOs has been sent to Commissioner Kyriakides urging her to suspend all live export to Israel and Lebanon with immediate effect. 

We have requested an urgent meeting to discuss this issue. This is the second joint letter sent to the Commissioner in recent months. On 25^th June a letter was sent urging shipments to the region to be suspended after reports of livestock vessel Shorthorn Express, a regular visitor to Ireland, coming under attack when transporting sheep from Portugal to Israel. The Commissioner responded that the attacks were unconfirmed and disappointingly would not take any action.

Minister McConalogue refuses to suspend shipments

We have urged Minister McConalogue not to authorise any more shipments to Israel until the conflict is over and the safety of the animals can be guaranteed, as much as it can be in this inhumane industry.

We also notified Minister McConalogue of the reported rocket attack on the Shorthorn Express on 25th June and sent him a copy of the letter sent to the Commissioner. We had a parliamentary question submitted asking if he will suspend all shipments to Israel at that time, but he would not take action because “there is currently no restriction in place on trade with Israel.” And in fact the Shorthorn Express left Greenore port for Israel on 5^th July, just 10 days later, with over 2,000 bulls on board.

 

We are not asking for trade restrictions, we are asking for the safety and well being of animals to be taken into consideration. This should be of concern to the Minister, not continuing business as usual.

 

Live export causes immense suffering at the best of times. Continuing to send animals to a region at war is irresponsible and abhorrent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.thefencepost.com/news/dairy-cows-killed-as-hezbollah-missiles-rain-down-on-israeli-farms/ 

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2024-07-23/1619/