Four lorries carrying calves sailed to Boulogne in the early hours of the morning.

Info from Kent Action against Live Exports.

Five lorries carrying calves sailed to Boulogne in the early hours of the morning.

Info from Kent Action against Live Exports.

Kent Against Live Exports (KALE) work closely with CIWF and hold demos in Dover.

They also hold demonstrations against live exports on the first Saturday every month between 12pm-3pm at Eastern Docks Roundabout. Please contact KALE's information news line on 01304 204688 for more information.

A special demo, organised by VIVA! was held on the 6th May 2006 to coincide with the first shipment of calves.

CIWF Chief Executive, Philip Lymbery, who attended the event said:
"The demonstration in Dover was an important show of unity by the animal welfare movement against the despicable resumption of live calf exports from the UK. It was an opportunity to show that ten years may have passed but that the protestors have not gone away.

"It is also a sad indictment of government and industry inaction on this issue that the past decade has not been used to develop a humane and sustainable alternative to the live export trade. At CIWF, we are stepping up our urgent campaign to bring an end to this trade forever."

About 1000 calves left Dover in the early hours of the morning, bound for Boulogne. Some came from as far away as Scotland and Wales.

Entry by Rowen West-Henzell, CIWF Communications Officer responsible for the campaign against calf exports:

We knew that Kent Against Live Exports (KALE) would lead a gathering at Dover Docks to mark the departure of the first shipment of calves. CIWF supporters attended in Dover and our French group PMAF organised a demo on the other side of the channel

Ian Birchall (KALE Chairman) reported back on Friday morning with times and details of the shipment. He said four lorries drove into Dover in the cover of darkness, boarded the ship, and set sail. It was a sad moment. I couldn’t help thinking of those calves throughout the day, where they might be on their journey and how they might be feeling. We got confirmation that some of the calves had reached a destination farm in Holland that afternoon. Any calves that went from Scotland to Holland would have been on the move for around 20 hours.

I remembered back to a conversation I’d had with the NFU’s Deputy President Meurig Raymond a few months ago – before exports had resumed. He assured me that it was unlikely any of the calves would be on the road for more than eight hours. Perhaps he didn’t think any would be sent from Scotland or Wales. Or perhaps he honestly believes that the journey time from Scotland to the continent is less than eight hours, but I’d like to see a lorry load of calves get to Dover in that time, let alone Belgium or Holland. Judging by an NFU leaflet designed to answer questions about the live calf export trade, it would seem that calves never travel longer than eight hours. We will be putting them straight on this when we meet the new president Peter Kendall on 18 May.

Entry by PMAF’s Dominic Hofbauer:

Tracing the boat was not easy, and the information we were getting kept changing till the last minute (arrival in Dunkerque, Boulogne, Calais, 3 or 6 or 9 o'clock), so giving an appointment to the press and the demonstrators wasn't easy, and we were only 15 activists in Boulogne harbour on Friday morning.

Nevertheless, the demo made the headlines in the regional TV news, and was broadcasted in a shorter version on the national News Friday lunchtime.

Calves left Lockerbie in Scotland at 5.30pm to be driven all the way down the country to Dover.

Live export of cattle and calves can legally resume.

Entry by Rowen West-Henzell, CIWF Communications Officer responsible for the campaign against calf exports:


We know that no shipments are going out today, but the media interest is still intense. Joyce and I both did live TV slots for Sky News in the morning. This was followed by several local radio interviews including BBC Radio Kent and BBC Radio Birmingham.

CIWF, Joanna Lumley and Gwyn Prosser MP handed in a giant Mayday postcard to Ben Bradshaw on the eve of the ban on live cattle exports being lifted.

Entry by Rowen West-Henzell, CIWF Communications Officer responsible for the campaign against calf exports:

The day began with a phone call from Sky News at 9am just as I was arriving at Waterloo station. From that point on my phone didn’t stop ringing with calls from the BBC and loads of other major news providers, all interested in the issue and the photo call with Joanna. By 10am we had a string of interviews booked, including Sky News, BBC News 24 and Radio Five Live. Staff from CIWF head quarters were all in place outside DEFRA wearing Mayday t-shirts and holding placards, ready for any photos.

Then Joanna Lumley arrived looking amazing and all the press photographers sprang into action. They took plenty of shots of Joanna with the Mayday banner, CIWF staff, the giant postcard and our life-size model calf.

Although Ben Bradshaw (DEFRA Animal Welfare Minister) would not come outside, he did let Joanna, Joyce D’Silva (CIWF Ambassador) and Gwyn Prosser MP go up to his office to give him the giant postcard. Joanna, Joyce and Gwyn were up there for about 20 mins before coming out to do interviews for Sky, the Times, Channel Five News, the BBC and others. After more photos I had to whisk Joanna, Gwyn and Joyce off to the Millbank studios where they did interviews for BBC News 24, Sky and others. A lot of the interviews were sent out to networks which reached lots of different regional news providers and radio stations.

By midday the photo call was all over, but the media calls kept coming in. Joyce and I went to the Charing Cross Hotel for a breather and to escape the London streets so Joyce could do some radio interviews in peace. Once they were over and done with, I had Sky News on the phone and before I knew it we were both booked in for two live TV interview slots the following day.

All in all it was an incredibly successful day in terms of getting the message about live calf exports on the map.