Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture rejects call for ban on live animal exports
The ban was called for following the drowning death of 14,000 sheep when an animal export vessel capsized last month in the Black Sea on its way to Saudi Arabia.
BARRY ROCHE: ‘Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed has rejected a call from Green Party MEP Grace O’Sullivan for a ban on live animal exports from Ireland over animal welfare concerns. The Ireland South MEP called for the ban following the death of 14,000 sheep when an animal export vessel, the Queen Hind, capsized last month in the Black Sea on its way from the Romanian port of Midia to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.
“These live exports shouldn’t be happening. The case in Romania proves a point to an extent, but we know for years that it isn’t a good way to bring animals, particularly in Ireland’s case, from Ireland to Libya”… But Mr Creed firmly rejected any such moves. He said in the first instance, unlike Romania, Ireland exports very few sheep, with the export of bovines accounting for the vast majority of Irish live animal exports…
According to Bord Bia figures, the industry, which is estimated to be worth up to €300 million in 2019, saw some 233,000 animals exported to continental EU countries, a further 38,000 to the UK with 28,000 going to non-EU countries. Within the EU, more than 90,000 animals went to Spain and over 84,000 to the Netherlands while Italy accounted for 30,000 and France accounted for almost 8,000 with the majority of animals in each case being calves’. SOURCE…
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