The Editor Kent on Sunday Apple Barn, Hythe Road, Smeeth Ashford TN25 688 Dear Sir, My wife and I have been involved with KAALE, Kent Action Against Live Exports, for the last 18 years and have become the Chairman and Secretary of this campaigning group. We have read with great interest your article on the Live Export Trade in your paper week ending 13th October 2013. Firstly we would like to thank you for airing this contentious issue, but as you might guess would like to address certain issues. You say this trade is essential for the farming industry but we must point out that if the export of approximately 38,000 sheep this year to date is supporting the entire livestock industry then our livestock industry is in dire straights. In actual fact thousands of tons of meat is exported on a regular basis to our European partners and beyond bearing the proud logo of produced in the UK. These poor creatures will be stamped produced in ‘France’ or whatever country they are slaughtered in thus denying the UK of the credit for such good meat. You speak of the exports ‘resuming’ at Ramsgate but we have, as I said above, been campaigning against this trade for the last 18 years since 1995. Other than 18 months during Foot and Mouth Disease and 10 months in 2010 when the previous export ship, The Pentalina B, stopped trading in the March of that year until this present vessel, the Joline, started exports have been leaving Dover until March 2011. Over the years the exports have vastly reduced but there has always been a trickle. In March 2011 the berth used by the exporters in Dover port, berth one, was broken and the exporters turned their eyes to Ramsgate. They Bullied, with the threat of court action, the owners of that port, Thanet District Council, until they were allowed to resume their trade in May 2011. The incident you refer to on 12th September 2012 was witnessed by many including ourselves. As the French transporter passed us at the port a leg was observed sticking out. This was reported to the RSPCA and Animal Health. The leg proved to be broken and upon examination several other animals had break injuries. It was decided to unload the vehicle by AHVLA, the Competent Body’ on RSPCA recommendation and the chosen area unfortunately had a covered drain which collapsed causing animals to fall into a cesspit drain where 3 drowned. The RSPCA rescued several and the AHVLA, ‘the competent Body’, were untrained or reluctant to slaughter the injured animals. Once removed from the vehicle it was found that many animals had Foot rot and in some cases with lesions. These with the advanced disease were also slaughtered on the advice of the two attending vets and the two female RSPCA inspectors had to do the job. The blood involved was caused by using the Pith method after the captive bolt had stunned the animals. We have great respect for vet Mr Smith; however, even he could not make a diagnosis what needed to be done from his surgery 20 miles away. This is the TRUTH. Even the NFU themselves have said this ‘boat’ is unfit to cross the English Channel as it is an ex Russian RIVER barge. With regard to the ‘dramatic reduction of time spent on the water’. You will find that the journey from Ramsgate to Calais took the Joline 4 hours to 4 hours 30 minutes and the time for the crossing from Dover to Calais takes 3 to 4 hours so at best a reduction of one hour. Please do not confuse the issue of these animals, which are for slaughter or further fattening, with breeding animals which travel on P&O on a one hour crossing in much better conditions. This ‘river barge’ has an open deck with no shelter. The vehicles are so close together that should something go wrong with them there is no access until they disembark in Calais. Many of these animals face slaughter conditions that would not be accepted in the UK and some will be re exported even as far as Turkey. We have been told they are merely for food but we think never the less humane treatment should be the order of the day in a civilised world. Finally, think of British jobs, slaughtermen, finishers, butchers and even British drivers instead of foreign ones mainly used by the exporters. The farmers would get the price as they do at market secure in the knowledge their animals would not have to face this long distance transportation and they would be adding to the British economy by slaughtering here. Yours Faithfully I.F.Birchall and Y.L.Birchall KAALE kaale.org.uk
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 21:35:22 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015