RSPCA: First shipment of lambs leaves re-opened Ramsgate port
RSPCA Chief Executive Gavin Grant spoke out against live transport as the first lorries bringing lambs to the port of Ramsgate, since the High Court forced it to reopen, arrived.
As the lorries carrying up to 3,500 sheep came into the loading area of the port they were checked by RSPCA inspectors and an independent vet before driving onto the boat, the Joline*, which is carrying lambs destined for ritual slaughter by religious methods without pre-stunning in northern France for the Festival of Eid next Friday.
Gavin Grant said..” I was determined to be present in person along with my RSPCA inspectors to witness what occurs here today. This is a vile trade which has no place in a civilised society. It is only sustained by the demand for animals to be used in ritual slaughter. Yet the number of sheep being transported far outweighs the number needed for consumption by the faithful. These poor creatures are being killed without stunning and some of the meat may be making its way onto the plates of unknowing families across Europe. It has to end now.”
RSPCA inspectors raised concerns about three of the lorries this morning:
• One had what appeared to be broken hydraulics on its roof so the roof was sagging but it was passed by officials from Defra
• One lorry was completely sealed and Defra officials refused requests for it to be opened and inspected.
• Another lorry had both horned and unhorned sheep which we raised concerns about but Defra officials said they were happy with.
Thanet District Council took the decision to close the port in the middle of September after an horrific incident in which 47 sheep were killed. Three drowned and 44 other sheep, including a sheep with a broken leg, were humanely destroyed on veterinary advice.
Transporters told the court that they would lose customers and their business would be irreparably damaged if they were prevented from transporting up to 75,000 live sheep to France for the Festival of Eid and to cover other weekly orders.
Mr Justice Burton said the port should reopen pending a judicial review of the council’s decision to close it. He laid great weight on the view of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) that it is not necessary to provide emergency facilities at the port itself and that the existence of contingency premises within an hour’s drive is sufficient safeguard for animal welfare.
The RSPCA does not agree with Defra’s assessment of the position and believes events have shown the need for emergency facilities at the port itself.
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Notes to editors
Pictures are available from the national press office on 0300-123-0244
*The Joline is a flat-bottomed Russian tank carrier designed to work in rivers, not the open sea.
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