Leeuwarden Main Report 2005-2006 1
CATTLE MARKET LEEUWARDEN Causes for the frequency of injured cows transported in Holland In Holland, many weak and injured dairy cows are not being transported directly to slaughter but instead first to livestock markets. Livestock markets are stressful for animals because they are foreign and loud environments. The animals are mixed with other unfamiliar animals, they are handled often roughly, they are rarely provided for with water and feed, cows in lactation are not milked, and most importantly, injured and weak ones are frequently not checked or treated by a veterinarian and are routinely accepted by the market authorities. For these reasons, should a dairy cow arrive at a livestock market in bad shape, she will definitely leave in a worse shape and the risk of her becoming seriously injured and suffering during transport is great. The cattle market in Leeuwarden raises a serious welfare concern among Animals Angels for the following reasons: Cows that are not fit for transport are being accepted. Cows in lactation have dripping udders and are not milked. Does not have a veterinarian or a competent veterinarian technician present. Use of electric prods on the private area of downer cows to try to get them up. Bulls are tied to railings next to one another leading to fighting and stress. abnormally high amount of beating of the animals. high incidence of tail twisting to make the cows get up the truck ramps or to move forwards. unnecessarily beating of the animals as there were already moving forward. There were many children at this market, and they also had sticks and were observed hitting the animals repeatedly without any purpose, and often very hard even though they were young boys of just 12 or so years of age. Children do not have the training or the skill to move animals, and unfortunately often hit animals for the fun of it. A market is no place for children. Cattle arriving the night before, do not receive water or feed, nor are milked. 2
Animals Angels is of the opinion that all cattle markets are an outdated form of trading. Today it is possible to establish so-called virtual auctions of livestock over the internet, in which farmers and animal dealers can place bids on the animals. This way of animal trading omits three stress factors: 1.need to transport animals to market, 2.mixing of foreign animal and people together (spreading of diseases) and 3. further transported to slaughter. Animals Angels welcomes the idea of closing the Leeuwarden market and replacing it with an alternative system as mentioned above. However, as long as this is not the case, Animals Angels asks that improvements are immediately made at the Leeuwarden cattle market in order to better ensure the welfare of the animals sold at this premise. We would encourage that only healthy and fit animals be accepted at livestock markets in Holland and that there be a veterinarian present during every market day to inspect the unloading of animals arriving at the market, to inspect the animals present at the market, and to inspect the re-loading conditions. We also encourage the AID to plan more frequent unannounced visits of this cow market. We strongly ask that Holland develops legislation pertaining to animal protection at the markets, and clear guidelines regarding what an unfit animal is, so that there are no more excuses for accepting unfit cattle. In the index at the end of this report we have included guidelines for dealing with compromised cattle used in Canada for their markets. These guidelines are meant as an example for what the Dutch authorities could also adopt. We also ask that the market authorities to respect the EU and Dutch legislation animals which go down on the market must be euthanised where he or she first went down, unless there is an alternative which does not cause unnecessary suffering. Dragging a large animal, such as a cow, by one leg via chains up are jagged ramp indeed causes suffering and must be put to a stop immediately. Below is a list of observations we have made. The official detailed reports of the individual visits can be requested from Animals Angels, as can the footage. 3
17.02. 2005 Dead cow in parking lot : ear tag- NL 3322 5716 Reloading of downers at the market: cows are dragged by one leg via a chain up a dragged ramp into the truck. 4
Cow with very wobbly bad legs, she did not want to push any weight on them, she seemed in pain (possibly suffering from foot rot): ear tag-9498 A young small black heifer, laming very badly, back legs trembling, appeared to have foot rot. She fell while being loaded and the loading process seemed to cause her great distress and pain: ear tag-2194. Downer cow. She should never have been accepted at the market because she arrived down, she should have been humanely killed on site. A trader was kicking her hard the ribs and stomach to make her get up, but she made no effort and it was very clear that she couldn t. inside the building there were two other downer cows. One had been separated and placed against the back wall of the building. The other one was still tied on between other cows at the railing. The same truck that loaded the first downer cow observed, loaded these cows, one at a time and transported them to the slaughterhouse in Dokkum. one cow had her placenta hanging from her vulva. This is a sign that she had given birth relatively recently. 20 cows dripping milk from their udders, proving that they had not been milked in the past 12 hours as required by law. 5
03.03.2005 ( no photos available ) 2 cows that appeared down (one was a Belgium Blue- ear tag: 2101 8964 and her trader told Animals Angels that she was really sick). cow with a messed up leg, it was much longer than the other legs and very swollen and pink in colour. She could not put pressure on it either- Animals Angels only managed to get the number written in colour on her rear end- 112. cow with what appeared to be a broken leg- her back right leg was crooked and she has holding it high up, she was very nervous when you approached her. There were at least 7 traders gathered around her, trying to make her move. Animals Angels only managed to get the last 4 numbers of her ear tag: 2592. At this point two of the market authorities Mr. Auke de Haan and Mr. Tjebbe Galama told Animals Angels director Christa Blanke and Head investigations Holland Lesley Moffat, that Animals Angels is no longer welcome on the market and that Animals Angels should leave immediately. Because Animals Angels had very serious concerns regarding the poor animal welfare conditions at this market, Animals Angels decided to distribute the official reports to not only to the ministery of Agriculture and EU officials, but to major Dutch animal welfare organisation. An animal welfare organisation decided to pursue this investigation further and kept Animals Angels up to date with the newest footage and reports. 06.04.2006 Approximately 1/5 of the cows at the market were very thin. Half of these were in an extremely bad condition. 6
Mistreatment of a downer: This cow arrive in a an extremly poor condition and could not stand up. Two employees of a transport company try to get her up, she manages to walk two steps and than collapses. A dealer arrive to the scene with an electric prod and shocks her repeatedly in her private area. But even this does not get her up. About 10 cows had extremely large udders. Two of the cows found lying down at the market where able to get up but limped very badly. At the market they have been tethered on very short ropes, and thus where forced to hold the head up in an uncomfortable position. 7
15.06.2006 Mistreatment of a weak calf. Dealer observed kicking him hard and repeatedly in the belly. Thin and weak cows 8
Mistreatment of a downer. This downer cow was dragged by her head and her tail and finally by chain up into a truck Dead cow 9
Cows with very large udders 13.07.2006 thin and weak cows 10
Mistreatment of a very sick and weak cow : this cow was forced to stand up by being electricly prodded in the anal area many times and was further electricly prodded to make her move forward up into the truck. Many cows with full, large udders: 11
Cows which are unable to get up or walk on there own 12
Mistreatment of a downer cow: After receiving some sort of infusion this downer cow could still not get up. Elect. prod 13
Council Directive of 19 November 1991 on the protection of animals during transport and amending Directive 90/425/EEC and 91/496/EEC (91/628/EEC) (Extracts pertinent to the transport of unfit animals) Chapter 2: Transport and Controls in Community territory Art. 3 All member states shall ensure that: No animals shall be transported unless it is fit for the intended journey and unless suitable provisions have been made for its care during the journey and on arrival at the place of destination. Animals that are ill or injured shall not be considered fit for transport. However, these provisions shall not apply to: 1. animals that are slightly injured or ill whose transport would not cause unnecessary suffering. 2. Animals that are transported for scientific research purposes approved by the competent authority. Animals that fall ill or are injured during transport shall receive first aid treatment as soon as possible: They shall be given appropriate veterinary treatment and if necessary undergo emergency slaughter in a way which does not cause them any unnecessary suffering. ANNEX CHAPTER I DOMESTIC SOLIPEDS AND DOMESTIC ANIMALS OF THE BOVINE, OVINE, CAPRINE ANDPORCINE SPECIES A. General provisions 4. Suitable equipment for loading and unloading of animals such as bridges, ramps or gangways shall be used. The flooring of this equipment shall be constructed so as to prevent slipping, and the equipment shall be provided with lateral protection if necessary. During transport, animals shall not be suspended by mechanical means, nor lifted or dragged by the head, horns, legs, tail or fleece. In addition, the use of electric prods should be avoided as far as possible. 14
Decree on the transportation of animals 1995 Besluit Dierenvervoer (dutch legislation) 1 Art. 5 1. Animals will only be transported when they are fit to travel and when facilities have been made to take care for the animals during travel and at arrival at the place of destination. 2. The holder (keeper) of an ill or injured animal only offers the animal for transport and the transporter only accepts an ill animal, or transports an ill or injured animal, only when: a. it is slightly ill or injured for which the transport will not lead to unnecessary suffering. b. it is an animal that is being transported for veterinary treatment or emergency slaughter, on condition that transport does not lead to unnecessary suffering or bad treatment and, as far as cattle is involved, that transport is conducted according to articles 10 to 14 (included). 3. All animals for which transport will lead to unnecessary suffering or bad treatment, and in any case for all cattle older than 10 days and horses which have one or more broken bones and are unable to walk on their own, can only be transported to a veterinary practice, clinic or hospital for veterinary treatment. 5. Transport of more than slightly wounded of sick animal Art. 10 When cattle with minor injuries or more than slightly ill cattle is being transported, this should be done without interruption and to the nearest slaughterhouse or an other appropriate slaughterhouse within a 50 km range of the place of loading. Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin (OJ L 139, 30.4.2004). Section I, Annex III Art. 11 The loading and unloading, including the unloading from the means of transport, of cattle with minor injuries or more than slightly ill cattle that does not have the strength to move on its own, should be done with the aid of an instrument that prevents the animal from unnecessary suffering. During the transport of cattle with minor injuries or more than slightly ill cattle is a mean of aid, as mentioned above, present in the means of transport. Art. 12 An animal which is more than slightly wounded or sick must not be transported together with other animals on the same transporter. Art. 13 An animal which is more than slightly wounded or sick has to be able to lie down or stand on soft bedding. Article 14 Cattle with minor injuries or more than slightly ill cattle is, once unloaded, not to be reloaded into the same or any other means of transport. The first section does not apply on cattle that has been unloaded to receive medical care as well as cattle that has become ill or injured during the transportand find themselves at a place other than a slaughterhouse, provided that the transport immediately after the loading or shift on to tranship continues with due observance of the articles 10 to 14, first section. 15
Animal Health and Welfare law Gezondheids- en welzijnswet voor dieren (dutch legislation) Chapter III. The care for the well-being of animals Artikel 36 1. It is forbidden to, without reasonable objective or with excession of what is acceptable for the achievement of such an objective to cause injury or pain or to harm the health of an animal. 2.considering the above, the following behaviour is considered forbidden: b. to transport a cow with very full udders or to offer her for sale to the public or on a market. 3.Everyone is obliged to give assistance to animals that are in need of help. Artikel 37 It is forbidden to the holder, keeper of an animal to deny the necessary care to an animal. Animals Angels is of the opinion, that many violations of the EU and Dutch animal transport laws are occuring at the market of Leeuwarden. The observations listed in this report are of cows which would indeed experience unnecessary and additional suffering if re-loaded and further transported. These animals are unfit for transport. It is only when Dutch authorities enforce the legislation strictly and with conviction that cattle farmers and traders will learn to respect the animal welfare regulations, and thus avoid letting their animals get to this extreme poor state of fitness in the first place. 16
Animals Angels Leeuwarden Main report 2005/2006 INDEX 17
Animals Angels Leeuwarden Main report 2005/2006 18