Wednesday 29 November, 2006

News

After a horrific incident on Wednesday 22 November when a transporter on board a ship overturned en route from Dover to Dunkerque, it is believed that SVS is now investigating this accident.

Bad weather conditions are inevitable now winter is here: delays, cancellations and route changes are predicted to be more frequent.

Sadly these vulnerable calves have to endure long stressful journeys which are unnecessary and cruel. Protecting all calves during transport is part of a wider campaign to secure an end to the long distance transportation of live animals in the EU and internationally.

CIWF believes that any port that handles live animals should have a place where they can be unloaded and given food and water (lairage) if delays occur.

When CIWF wrote to Ben Bradshaw alerting him to this incident of delayed shipments in Dover on 11 October, we asked that this situation must never be allowed to happen again. Ben Bradshaw did promise a full investigation into this.

There are many ways to help and support our Stop Live Export campaign:
http://www.ciwf.org.uk/campaigns/primary_campaigns/Calves_Letters.htm

Dover Demos

Kent Against Live Exports (KALE) hold monthly demos on the first Saturday of each calendar month, the next being this coming Saturday 2nd December. CIWF will be present and look forward to seeing you down there. These demos are held between 12pm-3pm at Eastern Docks Roundabout.

Please contact KALE's information news line on 01304 204688 for more information.

Shipments expected this week

Monday 27 November - 4.15am a shipment departed from Dover with 23 transporters on board. This ship was originally destined for Boulogne but it was believed to have been redirected to Dunkerque due to delays.

Further shipments are expected on Tuesday 28, Wednesday 29 November and Friday 1 December.

Thursday 9 November

Lorry full of cattle overturned in Lincolnshire

A total of 12 cows died last week when the lorry transporting them overturned in Lincolnshire. Nine of the animals were killed in the incident on Thursday 9 November and three others had to be humanely destroyed. The driver and his passenger escaped with minor injuries.

A vet was called to the scene of the accident at about 10.30pm to attend to the injured animals. Some of the cows, which were about a year old, were trapped under the lorry and emergency services spent four hours freeing them from the wreckage. The remaining cattle were transferred onto another truck to continue their journey to a farming business some 20 miles away.

The lorry overturned on the A158 between Langton by Wragby and Hatton and the road was closed until 5am the following morning, while the dead cattle were removed and the lorry recovered.

CIWF contacted DEFRA, SVS, Lincolnshire police and Lincolnshire local council. We’ll keep the blog updated.

Dover Demos

Kent Against Live Exports (KALE) hold monthly demos on the first Saturday of each calendar month, the next being on 2nd December. CIWF will be present and look forward to seeing you down there. These demos are held between 12pm-3pm at Eastern Docks Roundabout. Please contact KALE's information news line on 01304 204688 for more information.

CIWF Campaign Officer, Angelique Davies, says: "Demonstrations in Dover are a positive way of showing unity against the despicable resumption of live calf exports from the UK. It is an opportunity to show that ten years may have passed but the protestors have not gone away.”

Shipments

Increasingly bad weather conditions are causing shipment delays and cancellations.

Shipments expected this week

Tuesday 14 November, Wednesday and Friday. High winds are expected this week.

Entry by Angelique Davies, CIWF Campaigns Officer responsible for the campaign against calf exports:

Dover shipments this week:

Tuesday 31st October, a shipment was due to sail but was cancelled due to bad weather conditions, we have no news yet of where the animals were sent overnight, we’ll keep the blog updated. CIWF believes that any port handling live animals should have a place where they can be unloaded and given food and water (lairage). Eventually the following day Wednesday 1st November, the shipment sailed at lunchtime, from Dover.

The second shipment this week was on Wednesday 1st November. Hauliers arrived at 9.30pm and again at 2.30am to load both calves and sheep onto the fast navigator destined for continental veal farms. In total, nineteen trucks containing live animals were shipped.

Calves stranded in Dover:

When news reached CIWF about the calves stranded in Dover on 11 October, KALE informed us that these animals were not unloaded or taken to any lairage facility. The need for such a resource in Dover is crucial to ensure animal welfare. With the increase of live exports, more frequent and regular shipments are taking place and the probability of delays and cancellations are more likely then ever before, especially now the winter months are coming. Therefore, we need to urge DEFRA to ensure that there are facilities available for these animals in the event of any further delays or cancellations to shipments.

CIWF wrote to DEFRA to press the trade to establish a staging point or other suitable premises in the vicinity of Dover.

Shipments last week:

Friday 3rd November.

Shipments this week:

Tuesday and Friday, Wednesday (not confirmed.)

For further information please call KALE's news line on 01304 204688.