Sir, - It's business as usual. The export of live farm animals to the Continent looks set to continue unabated throughout the coming summer. Once more, thousands of Irish pigs, sheep and young cattle will face gruesome journeys in tightly packed live stock trucks to countries as far away as Greece, Italy and Spain. Once more, these pathetic animals will have to endure searing heat in an environment where farm animal welfare is looked upon as a complete joke.
New EU legislation to protect farm animals during transport is in total chaos: some countries have not implemented it at others have implemented it wrongly. Indeed, Compassion in World Farming's sister organisation in France has just put in a formal complaint to the EU Commission because of France's failure to implement the directive.
The situation for Irish calves is truly bleak. The veal crate system for rearing calves on the Continent was recently banned by the EU council of Agriculture Ministers, such was its cruelty. However, the ban does not come into effect for 10 years.
With thousands of farm animals being transported across Europe each day, how can any legislation effectively monitor and protect their welfare? The bottom line is this. Farm animals should be slaughtered as near the farm as possible. Farm animals are living, feeling creatures. They are not agricultural goods or products and therefore should not be subjected to the EU's free trade laws which permit such lengthy journeys.
It is time that Irish meat plants were scrutinised for monopolising meat prices and it is time that exporters switched their trade to one of carcases rather than live animals before public outcry over long distance live animal transport grows to such an extent that Irish and EU meat consumption slumps to an all time low. Yours, etc.,
Model Farm Road,
Cork.