RSPCA conducting live export inspections
Image - fwi.co.uk
A vet and a team of three inspectors from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) has been conducting inspections of conditions aboard live export lorries in the Port of Ramsgate prior to their departure to the Continent for the first time in over ten years.
The inspections started shortly after a meeting between Thanet Council and the RSPCA's new Chief Executive Gavin Grant, at which permission was sought and subsequently granted for RSPCA inspectors to attend. A 'zero tolerance' stance on hauliers found to be in breach of animal welfare laws was also pledged by Mr Grant.
Commenting, Chief RSPCA Inspector Dermot Murphy said “The RSPCA is against the long-distance transport of live animals for slaughter or further fattening and we were at Ramsgate Port, at the agreement of Thanet District Council and Animal Health, to ensure welfare rules are not being flouted. The RSPCA has been making sure that the animals have access to water, that there are non-slip floors or bedding down and that the calves and sheep are in a fit condition to travel. We have made it clear that if there are breaches of the rules we will take action.”
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
