Danish exporters are continuing to send piglets on illegally long and risky journeys, despite the popularity of an exposé published last year by Animal Protection Denmark. The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration must take action, and European policy-makers need to set a zero tolerance approach to unlawful conduct in the revised Transport Regulation.
In August, Animal Protection Denmark revealed Danish pigs are being sent on journeys that are far longer and hotter than the law allows. Assembly centres in Italy are being listed as “final destinations” when in fact, they are merely pit stops before the pigs are transported far further.
The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration described the situation as a clear violation of the law, and said it would take the matter up with the Italian authorities. Nevertheless, the practice has continued – and the fraud has reached new heights.
New footage captures multiple law breaches – at the expense of countless pigs
Animal Protection Denmark obtained video surveillance from Essere Animali of the assembly centre where so many Danish pigs are being sent.
What the footage depicts is harrowing. Over five days, two Danish pig transports arrived at the site, which exporters had reported to authorities as a final destination. According to the rules, the pigs should have rested there for at least 48 hours with access to food and water, before being transported further. However, in both cases, the pigs were transferred directly onto another truck and driven onward. This part of the journey was not approved by Danish authorities, and was beyond their ability to control.
Back in the August exposé, the pigs were revealed to have been given only eight hours of rest before their journey continued. With the pigs in this most recent footage being shown to have had no rest at all, it seems the situation has gone from bad to worse.
Discussion about this post