Animal charities today condemned "atrocious" travelling conditions for greyhounds taken from Ireland for racing in Spain.
The ISPCA and the RSPCA said 36 dogs on a 750-mile journey to Barcelona were hot, thirsty, hungry, had nowhere to sit, were unable to stand properly and were hidden from view for 38 hours.
"These are the atrocious conditions that the dogs had to endure on their journey," the organisations said.
The dogs, bought at a sale in Ireland, were taken to Spain to be sold on for greyhound racing in Barcelona. They were placed in 20 cages and travelled for 18 hours on a ferry and 20 hours by road, only stopping for a water break once, the organisations said.
Hidden from view by a thick tarpaulin, only four of the dogs were taken out during a stop in France to be exercised, leaving the other 32 caged for the entire trip.
The size of the cages meant most of the dogs could not stand to their natural height, and as many shared a cage it also meant that dogs were unable to sit or lie down at the same time, the organisations said.
The RSPCA and ISPCA mounted a joint operation, with RSPCA special operations unit officers trailing the greyhounds from Roscoff, Brittany, to Barcelona.
Under ferry company guidelines, dogs and cats transported for commercial purposes are considered as freight when travelling and cannot be checked during the duration of a journey.
RSPCA inspector Mr John Wilkins, who took part in the surveillance operation, said: "The laws for transporting dogs for commercial purposes must be urgently looked at in order to address these very serious welfare concerns".
Spanish police have reported the driver of the vehicle for a number of alleged breaches of Spanish and EU regulations, the organisations said.
PA