Death on board: European lamb transports to Italy

Every year more than 3 Million sheep are transported within the EU.
Italy imports about 40 % of all sheep. Most animals come from Hungary and Romania.
They are ending up in Italian slaughterhouses. Most of them are less than a year old. The lambs are transported over long distances on journeys between 1.200 – 2.200 kilometres.

Art. 3 of Regulation (EC) No 1/2005:
“No person shall transport animals or cause animals to be transported in a way likely to cause injury or undue suffering to them”

Easter and Christmas are causing mass-transports of lambs. These transports are agonising for the vulnerable animals. Up to 800 lambs are loaded on a single lorry without enough space to rest or lift their heads, without suitable drinking systems, without feed and water. The use of unsuitable vehicles is leading to serious injuries, such as legs or head getting trapped in gaps. Extreme weather conditions are causing cold stress which is agravated by insufficient and dirty bedding. These violations have a great impact on the welfare of the lambs and can even cause them to die.

With the help of Italian authorities, we have been inspecting these horrible transports. We have been documenting violations in every inspected truck. Since 2016 we are uncovering the repeated failures of the system committed in exporting countries and Italian slaughterhouses.

We are calling on the European Union to stop long-distance transports of these young animals.
Please support us!

Read more:
➡️ www.animal-welfare-foundation.org/en/projects/animal-transport/unweaned-animals
➡️ www.tierschutzbund-zuerich.ch/en/what-we-do/animal-transports/unweaned-animals