How Aging Makeshift Vessels Transport Farm Animals Out of the EU
Global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS on transport vessel Express M stuck en route to Haifa
Vienna, 19 March 2025 – What happens if an aging makeshift vessel carrying animals gets stuck at sea? Lack of food, risks of dehydration, even a possible heat stroke – the list of dangers for animals is alarming. This horrible scenario recently involved the Express M, a transport vessel carrying farm animals that departed from Midia, Romania on 22 February en route to Haifa Israel. Due to technical issues, their journey took 15 days – tripling the expected journey of five days. For global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS, these cases of unplanned prolongations of transport journeys raise serious concerns about the wellbeing of animals born and raised in the EU and transported in inappropriate vessels to third countries.
Many transport vessels carrying animals within and out of the EU are old and derelict makeshift transporters – averaging at almost 43 years – which were initially not designed for animal transports. According to the Animal Welfare Foundation, more than 35% of EU approved livestock carriers have had technical issues or incidents while being in service, including engine failures, fires or oil spills. The Express M has been in service for over 40 years. Just three months prior to this incident, the vessel was detained in Portugal for 25 reported deficiencies. “Given its aging condition, Express M should have never been given the authorisation to leave the shores of Romania. There is no shortcut to improve these transport conditions but to ban sea transports completely,” adds Reinisch.
Israel Against Live Shipments (FFA) witnessed and documented the unsanitary transport conditions of the animals when Express M arrived in Haifa.
The European Parliament and the Council of the EU are currently working on amending the European Commission proposal on the protection of animals during transport. FOUR PAWS urges them to strengthen its legislation around animal transports and calls for:
- Ban on live animal transports to third countries
- Ban on live animal transports by sea
- Ban on transport of unweaned animals
- No animal transports in temperatures below 5°C or above 25°C
- Restrict maximum transport duration to eight hours (four hours for poultry and rabbits)
- Slaughter of animals at the nearest suitable slaughterhouse
- Transport of meat and carcasses instead of live animals
Anita Mangalath
(she/her)PR International Officer
+43 (0) 664 848 55 87
VIER PFOTEN International
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1150 Vienna, Austria
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FOUR PAWS is the global animal welfare organisation for animals under direct human influence, which reveals suffering, rescues animals in need and protects them. Founded in 1988 in Vienna by Heli Dungler and friends, the organisation advocates for a world where humans treat animals with respect, empathy and understanding. The sustainable campaigns and projects of FOUR PAWS focus on companion animals including stray dogs and cats, farm animals and wild animals – such as bears, big cats and orangutans – kept in inappropriate conditions as well as in disaster and conflict zones. With offices in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, the UK, the USA and Vietnam as well as sanctuaries for rescued animals in eleven countries, FOUR PAWS provides rapid help and long-term solutions. www.four-paws.org