In 2022, over 9,000 cows were exported from Ireland to countries as far away as Algeria, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, or Turkey. The journeys can take upwards of nine days, during which the animals are trapped in filthy conditions and extreme temperatures. Animal welfare legislation in the destination countries is either non-existent or not enforced, and the animals who survive the journey are subjected to a slow, painful death by excruciating methods that may include being stabbed in the eyes, strung up by the leg, and slashed in the throat or tendons. Some suffer for 30 minutes before they die.
Even babies are not spared. In the same year, over 150,000 calves aged between 15 and 21 days old were forced to make the long, harrowing journey from Ireland to Europe. Most were unwanted male calves from the dairy industry. During the torturous journey, they are left without food and water for up to 30 hours, which can cause them to lose significant body weight, and some fall victim to illnesses like pneumonia or suffer from diarrhoea due to their underdeveloped immune system.
Further to animal welfare concerns, shipping animals thousands of miles contributes to the climate catastrophe and risks spreading disease, which could cause the next pandemic.