Prague, Aug 29 (CTK) – The Czech Republic should ban the export of live animals to Turkey and other countries outside the EU, Romana Sonkova, representative of the Compassion in World Farming, told CTK yesterday, adding that a petition to this effect was launched.
The animals are maltreated during the long transportation, Sonkova said.
State Veterinary Administration (SVS) spokesman Petr Pejchal said the vets were not expecting any change in the relevant legislation.
Last year, Czech firms exported living cattle for 866 million crowns to Turkey.
Sonkova said the Czech Republic was the third biggest exporter of live animals to Turkey in Europe.
The activists are opposed to the stress during the transportation as well as maltreatment of the animals when European borders are crossed.
“If the animal crosses the EU border, our checks, even if they were the best, which cannot be said, do not reach there,” Sonkova said.
The Agriculture Ministry has not asked state vets to cooperate on a stricter legislation, Pejchal said.
“At the moment, the SVS does not presume any change and it has not been asked to deal with any changes,” Pejchal said.
According to the data presented by the activists, most animals are exported from the EU to Libya, especially from Romania, Spain and France, and also to Jordan and Turkey.
Last October, the activists tried to warn of the maltreated animals by the statue of a chained cow. At that time, the Agriculture Ministry said it basically agreed with the limitation of the time of transport to roughly eight hours, but this would have to be valid for all the EU.
Later yesterday, the activists will demonstrate before the picture of a bull that perished during a transport to Turkey this June.
($1=23.928 crowns)
