Third letter sent to Commissioner urging him to take action as Brittany Ferries refuses to stop transporting unweaned calves
On 28th January a joint letter was sent to Commissioner Varhelyi signed by 22 NGOs urging him to take action against the Irish Authorities for continuously breaching EC Regulation 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport.
This follows a number of letters and meetings with Brittany Ferries, urging them to stop enabling this cruel trade that breaches legislation. But they refuse. The trade is too profitable, and despite claims to the contrary they clearly don’t value animal welfare. Our colleagues Four Paws, Welfarm and CIWF France have met face to face with the CEO Christophe Mathieu and President Jean-Marc Roué, who acknowledged that these journeys breach legislation but shockingly they don’t care. They got involved with this trade last March, in the full knowledge that calves cannot be fed during the long ferry journey to France. They were fully informed, thay have no excuse.
The calves are mostly just 2 – 4 weeks old, dependent on milk, but cannot be fed during transit as there are around 300 calves in each truck and they must be unloaded to be fed. They have under developed immune systems and are prone to illnesses. Before export they spend all day at a noisy, stressful mart, mixing with animals from many farms, being exposed to all kinds of pathogens. After the mart they go to an assembly centre where they do not get fed until the following morning. So even before the long ferry journey to France, the calves are already in a weakened state.
Audit by Commission reveals journeys are not complaint with legislation
This has been an area of contention for decades and many NGOs have been campaigning against this trade. We have submitted two formal complaints to the Commission, yet nothing is done.
In June 2022 the Commission conducted an audit on the transport of unweaned calves from Ireland and the report was published in December 2023. It concluded that the journeys breach legislation as the calves are not fed within the 19 hour maximum period. The report states four times that these journeys are not in line with EC Regulation 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport. Yet no action was taken. We sent the report to Brittany Ferries, before they were involved with this industry, but they made the shameful decison to go ahead anyway.
The Irish Authorities are fobbing off the Commission with promises of trucks with feeding systems that don’t exist, and the Commission is clearly falling for it!
In October 2023 a trial was conducted with a truck with a feeding system and it was a disaster. The conclusion was that “the practical use of the on-board feeding system was difficult, perhaps even impossible.” Yet the Commission seems to be under the illusion that such a truck is close to development. All the Irish authorities have to say is that they are working on it and that gives them carte blanche to continuously break the law. On 24th February 2025 a joint letter was sent to Commissioner Varhelyi urging him to take action against the Irish authorities as they are blatantly breaching legislation. We received no response so a follow up was sent on 8th September. This time the Commissioner agreed to meet us and there was a meeting on 24th September 2025. It was postive and the Commissioner seemingly agreed with us. He said the Irish Authorities have had more than enough time to get this matter sorted. He said he would send a letter and inferred that they would start infringement proceedings. When questioned whether the Irish authorities could continue exporting calves whilst conducting trials into trucks with feeding systems the Commissioner gave a firm no, he said they have had long enough.
But calf export season has started and no action has been taken. We have already seen many livestock trucks at Rosslare port, boarding the Brittany Ferries Cotentin.
Studies show these journeys cause harm and suffering
There have been four studies conducted into the export of unweaned calves from Ireland. Each study confirms that health and welfare are negatively impacted, that the calves suffer from dehydration, muscle fatigue, low energy and hyperglycaemia and that they have needed courses of antibiotics upon arrival at the veal farms.
At a meeting of the Animal Welfare Platform last year the Commissioner stressed that better compliance with the EU’s existing animal welfare rules “can be a game-changer” and that he is “willing to engage personally with any case that goes against our current rules”.
It’s time the Commissioner put his money where his mouth is. Words are meaningless if not followed by actions, and we are urging the Commissioner to stop being duped by the Irish Authorities and start infringement proceedings immediately. Brittany Ferries won’t stop on their own voltion, neither will the Irish authorites.
How many more hundreds of thousands of tiny calves have to suffer, because nobody has the backbone to stand up to the Irish Authorities?
Action needed
We first wrote to Christophe Mathieu in October 2023, before their involvement in this trade. We had several communications with them, outlining the issues with unweaned calves, but they would neither confirm nor deny that they had plans to start transporting livestock trucks. It therefore came as a shock when we heard they will be going ahead last March.
A recent poll showed that 83% of EU citizens believe unweaned animals should not be sent on long journeys, with the Irish figure slightly higher at 84%. If you agree please contact Brittany Ferries, urge them to stop enabling this cruel and unlawful trade. Email them now:
reservations@brittanyferries.ie
customer.services@brittanyferries.com
christophe.mathieu@brittany-ferries.fr CEO
jean-marc.roue@brittany-ferries.fr President
Please post comments on their social media pages:
https://www.facebook.com/BrittanyFerries
https://www.instagram.com/brittanyferries
https://fr.linkedin.com/company/brittany-ferries
Paula
Outdated, cruel, betrayed by their owner and country. Needs to stop now.
Cleo Knight
Heartbreaking and disgusting practice
Tanja Bjarkøy
This cruelty must come to an end immediately!