EU-Turkish border exposes hell of animal transport
POLITICO
November 1, 2024
BRUSSELS --- On September 12, two trucks carrying 69 heavily pregnant heifers departed from a farm in the German state of Brandenburg on a journey of over 2,000 kilometers to Turkey.
Neither the cows nor their unborn calves ever made it to their destinations.
A bureaucratic hurdle at the EU's external border stranded the animals, in deplorable conditions, for a month.
Some died, smeared in their own manure, while the rest ended up being slaughtered after weeks of agony, without aneshtesia.
The border of EU member Bulgaria with Turkey is a major crossing point for live animals where repeated instances of neglect and cruelty have been observed by NGOs for over a decade.
Their findings expose flaws in the outdated rules governing livestock transports within the EU and a lack of oversight when they cross it's external border.
More:
https://politico.eu/article/eu-turkey-bulgaria-border-animal-welfare-livestock-transport-cruelty-cattle/