We are with the animals
A Livestock Market in Portugal
Monitoring the market of San Pedro de Rates, Portugal 2005 – 2006
Animals’ Angels e.V. Rehlingstrasse 16 a ∗ D-79100 Freiburg Phone +49 761 70436 0 ∗ Fax +49 761 70436 29
[email protected] ∗ www.animals-angels.de Published in July 2006
Animals' Angels e.V.
July 2006 We are with the animals
Contents Introduction
13
Summary
13
Details
14
Diseased an injured animals at the market
14
Animals that die at the market
17
Cows not milked
19
Neglected animals
19
Poor handling/ keeping
10
Acts of violence against animals
10
Slippery and dangerous flooring
11
Lack of water
11
Lack of hygiene
12
Insufficient veterinarian surveillance
12
Conclusion
13
Demand
13
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Animals' Angels e.V.
July 2006 We are with the animals
Introduction Animals’ Angels monitors livestock markets in Europe, USA, Canada and Australia. The problems observed are the same everywhere: from poor handling to mistreatment of animals, diseased and injured animals arriving at the markets, over-crowding, lack of water, slippery flooring, and lack of hygiene. Livestock markets are problematic and cause tremendous stress to the animals. However a positive development can be observed. People are becoming more and more aware of animal welfare issues - not least because they realize that poor animal welfare means poor quality. In some places however animal welfare still plays no role at all. One of these places is the livestock market at San Pedro de Rates, Portugal. The market is run by a farmer’s association. The market has been opened in 2002 and runs two days per week. It deals with mainly cull cows and young calves. The market users are mainly regional farmers. However a large percentage of animals are sold to Spanish slaughterhouses. Huge animal welfare problems have been continuously observed at this market. Especially large numbers of downer cows, diseased and unfit animals.
Summary Animals’ Angels has been keeping the market under surveillance since March 2005. All problems observed have been reported continuously to the relevant authorities in Portugal and to the EU. Our teams have visited the market together with official Portuguese veterinarians. A representative of the General Veterinary Directory in Lisbon (DGV Direcção General) visited the market in November 2005. She reported the alarming situation at the market to the General Veterinary Director. Nothing changed. German television reported on the situation at the market. In January 2006 Animals’ Angels again had a meeting at the General Veterinary Directory in Lisbon where the problems of the market were discussed once more. The authority agreed with our criticism of all issues raised but declared that they are not able to change the situation. However the management of the market was invited to Lisbon to provide an explanation of the situation. Following this the market introduced a system of sanctions at the market that has not been effective: No significant improvements have occurred at the market. The situation continues the same.
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Animals' Angels e.V.
July 2006 We are with the animals
Details Diseased and injured animals at the market Animals’ Angels observed -
Limping animals Animals with broken legs Animals with obvious claw problems Animals with injuries on different parts of their bodies Animals with swellings on different parts of their bodies Animals with mastitis Animals with diarrhoea Animals with circulatory disorders Animals with injuries from ropes and halters An animal with a prolapse Animals standing throughout the market in a unnatural position Animals with general symptoms of disorders: conjunctivitis, nose discharge, curly coats, foam around their mouths
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Animals' Angels e.V.
July 2006 We are with the animals
Rates, March 2005
Rates, March 2005
Report March 2005: “… the dairy cows were in very bad condition: thin, exhausted, leg injuries, fur and skin problems, long hooves, milk is dripping to the floor, some are bleeding...”
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July 2006 We are with the animals
Rates, October 2005
Rates, November 2005
Report, December 2005: “PT H 70 8836: This cow cannot put her left hind leg on the ground. The leg is severely swollen. DK 041945 01107: Half of her claw on one hind leg is missing. She cannot put weight on this leg. PT 3 31 88 4620: She cannot stand on her left front leg. The leg is severely swollen.”
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Animals' Angels e.V.
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Rates, April 2006
Rates, June 2006
Animals that die at the market Animals’ Angels visited the market of Rates on 6 Tuesdays in 2005 and observed 9 animals that entered the market in such bad condition that they died whilst at the market. 29.03.05_ 29.03.05_ 21.06.05_ 13.09.05_ 15.11.05_ 13.12.05_ 13.12.05_
PT 8 661473 DE 03 437 43 448 PT 413 597491 (calf) PT H 310056 PT B 776654 PT 8 32 094691 PT 6 32 068 698
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Animals' Angels e.V.
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Margarethe DE 03 437 43 448 Rates, March 2005
Love PT 8 32094691 Rates, December 2005
Report December 2005: “…It takes 55 minutes until the veterinarian comes back. He gives her another injection of “Eutasil” in the stomach area. After 8 th seconds he gives her the 4 injection through the same cannula in the stomach area. 10 seconds later he gives her the next injection again through this cannula. Love still raises her head. After approx. 3 min and 30 seconds he injects the last injection of “Eutasil”. This time into the throat. Her reaction seems to be the same. She still raises her head and makes attempts to get up. We go to the director to convince him to get a vet from the slaughterhouse. He finally agrees. We go back to Love. The vet is there again. We see him with his hand in her anus. Then we see that he had cut rectal inner organs of Love with a scalpel”
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Animals' Angels e.V.
July 2006 We are with the animals
Cows not milked We regularly observed a large number of cows in milk that entered the market without having been milked before. In many cases the milk was dripping from their udders to the floor.
Rates, March 2005
Neglected animals Animals’ Angels observed -
cattle with severely overgrown hooves undernourished animals
Rates, March 2005
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Poor handling/ keeping -
animals tethered by the horns bulls tethered by the nose ring animals tethered by too short ropes impeding their lying down inadequate handling during loading operations the animals are forced to walk and to stand on an extremely slippery flooring no bedding used (especially inappropriate for the animals staying at the market overnight)
Rates, May 2005
Acts of violence against animals Continuously Animals’ Angels observed -
excessive use of the electric prod hitting animals with wooden prods on the face and other sensitive parts of their bodies poking animals with sticks in order to move them tail twisting people kicking on the animals’ legs in order to move them
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Animals' Angels e.V.
July 2006 We are with the animals
Slippery and dangerous flooring The flooring at the market is extremely slippery. Animals’ Angels often observed animals stumbling or falling down to their knees. No bedding is used at the market.
Rates, December 2005
Report November 2005: “...the floor near the quay is very slippery and doesn’t offer stability to the animals. Some animals fall down... and have difficulties to stand up.”
Lack of water A large number of animals arriving to the market cannot be supplied with water since the automatic water troughs cannot be reached by all animals. During several visits to the market not all installations worked. Report October 2005 “.. not all animals can reach the water troughs as they are very packed and have short ropes. We estimate that 20% of the tied animals can reach the water troughs… the climate is very dense and hot. There is no good air circulation… “
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Lack of hygiene Except for the calves at the market no bedding is used. There is no draining of the excrement as the draining holes are in the place. Therefore the flooring is extremely dirty. The market users do not wear any special clothes or clean their shoes when the leave the market.
Rates, November 2005
Insufficient veterinarian surveillance -
There is not an official veterinarian present throughout the market There is no official veterinarian present during unloading operations According to their own statement the task of the official veterinarians at the market only is to issue the sanitary guides The private veterinarian hired by the market owner does not check on the condition of the animals or on animal welfare issues Sick animals are not isolated and receive no veterinarian attention At the market there is no possibility to emergency kill an animal The private veterinarian hired by the market owner is not trained in emergency killing/ euthanizing cattle
Report January 2006: “…the official veterinarian Dr. Teresa shares our opinion of the bad situation of the market and she says that she urgently needs help; there should be an official vet during the entire day supervising the unloading and the loading”.
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Animals' Angels e.V.
July 2006 We are with the animals
Conclusions The situation at the market of Rates is alarming. There are serious enforcement deficiencies in Portugal. The Portuguese authorities responsible close their eyes being confronted with serious breaches of EU animal welfare-legislation and standards as well as sanitary and bio security rules.
Demand Animals’ Angels urgently calls upon the competent authorities in Portugal and the European commission to take the necessary steps to remedy the shortcomings described – if necessary to close the market.
Detailed reports on all market visits can be obtained from Animals’ Angels e.V.
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