The Spanish authorities are about to start slaughtering hundreds of calves that have crossed the Mediterranean for months, a lawyer for the livestock forwarders said.
The 864 cattle to be slaughtered are on board the Karim Allah, which is docked in the Spanish port of Cartagena. It is one of two ships that left Spain in mid-December to deliver live cargoes of young bulls. The second vessel, Elbeik, loaded nearly 1,800 cattle from Tarragona.
The Elbeik, which now carries more than 1,700 cattle, also appears to be returning to Spain.
Both shipments ran into problems when she was refused entry by several countries, including Turkey and Libya, for fear the animals had a disease called bluetongue, which causes lameness and bleeding among cattle but does not affect humans.
Disease regulations drawn up by Spanish officials mean the cattle cannot re-enter the EU after trying to enter Libya. In the slaughter order to the management of Karim Allah, seen by the Guardian, it says that Libya: mouth disease in that condition. “
“The Spanish authorities have indicated that they will start killing the livestock on Tuesday,” said Miquel Masramón, a lawyer representing Talia Shipping Line. The Karim Allah is owned by Khalifeh Livestock Trading and operated by Talia Shipping Line, both based in Lebanon, while the livestock is owned by a third party.
Map
In a statement on Saturday, the Ministry of Agriculture said that if the Karim Allah did not begin to “isolate and slaughter the animals in accordance with applicable regulations,” the Ministry would.
A source at the ministry said on Sunday that the shipper had been informed he had until Monday afternoon to begin the slaughter. The ministry said: “It is primarily up to the shipowner to isolate and slaughter the animals. He has until tomorrow morning [Monday] to notify his decision to the administration. “
Both Talia Shipping Line director Majed Eid and Masramón said they would fight the decision. Their goal, they say, is to give the livestock time to heal and then find a new buyer once they receive the results of bluetongue blood tests last week.
A report from Spanish veterinary officials who boarded the Karim Allah last week said the captain told them about 22 deaths at sea. Another nine cattle were not included. According to the report, 20 of the fallen animals were dismembered and thrown overboard during the voyage, citing information from the captain.
The report concluded that the animals had suffered from the long journey and were generally in poor condition. Some were unwell and unfit for transport outside the EU, or fit for entry into Europe. Euthanasia would be best for their health and well-being, it concluded.
The report did not state whether the cattle had bluetongue, but pointed to other skin, eye and leg conditions, including alopecia, scaling, scabs, and joint inflammation that are compatible with septic arthritis.
On Sunday, Masramón said he was trying to get a new veterinary report and hoped to get a vet on board the ship and “inspect the animals and respond to the Spanish authorities’ veterinary report. The problem now is about it [vet] official approval to enter the port. “
Second ship to return to Spain
On Saturday, the tracking website Marine Traffic showed the Elbeik on its way back to Spain, with destination Cartagena.
The ship’s return to Spain was confirmed on Sunday in an email from the Chief Veterinary Officer of the Cypriot government, Christodoulos Charalambous Pipis, who has been monitoring the Elbeik. Last week it was anchored for several days off the coast of Northern Cyprus, outside the port of Famagusta.
“Our information is that the captain of the ship has stated that the ship will return to Spain and today I was told it would reach Spain soon,” he said. “My Spanish counterpart has been informed by me from the first moment we got this information.”
Late last week, a source told the Guardian that of the approximately 1,770 animals loaded, about 35 would have died and the rest were in good condition. ‘They are limousin and charolais cross [bulls], between six and twelve months old, ”said the source.
Representatives of the Karim Allah and Elbeik have blamed the Spanish Minister of Agriculture for their plight and accused them of an error in animal health certification that led port officials to deny entry to ships.
The source said he was “100% sure” that the livestock on the ship was bluetongue-free. “There has been a mistake in the Spanish animal health paperwork. That’s how this all started. They wrote Aragon [as the cattle’s origin]Aragon has not been free from bluetongue for the past 24 months. “
The animals, he said, are not from Aragon, but from Zaragoza and Teruel, which are “150 km from the focal point. [of the bluetongue areas]And fulfilled the requirement that they come from a bluetongue free area.
The Spanish Ministry of Agriculture previously told the Guardian that the situation of the ships “had nothing to do with the actions of the Spanish government” and that the livestock came from areas where bluetongue does not occur.
Sign up for Animals farmed’s monthly update to get an overview of the best farming and food stories around the world and keep up with our studies. You can send us your stories and thoughts at [email protected]