14 DAY TRIAL // As of yesterday, the Port of Romsgate, south-east England, no longer allows ships decked here to set sail whilst transporting live animals. As well as this, no ships engaging in the same type of activity are allowed to enter this port.
Apparently, although the people who decided to ban live animal exports in this port do not think that this industry is flawed altogether, they do believe that whenever transporting animals by sea one needs to make sure that the best of conditions are provided for them.
Regardless of the fact that several concerns with respect to how live exports by sea affect animals have been raised since back in 2011, it seems that the recent death of 40 sheep is what sparked a sudden and reinforced interest in this matter.
More precisely, a few days ago said animals had to be put to sleep following advice provided by the RSPCA, as the conditions in which they were forced to travel took their toll on their general wellbeing and left little chances for these animals' making a recovery.
Clive Hart, the leader of Thanet District Council, commented on this ban as follows: “Thanet District Council recognises that live exports are a lawful trade, but we are also conscious of our responsibilities regarding the welfare of animals passing through our port.”
He went on to explain that, “We are saddened to see animals arrive at our Port in this condition and it underlines the need to implement EU regulations strictly in order to avoid any suffering caused to the animals.”
It may very well be that the ban set in place by the Thanet District Council with respect to the Port of Romsgate is just a temporary one, but now that the issue providing appropriate conditions for live exports has been brought under the spotlight, animal rights activists can rest assured that efforts will be made towards dealing with it.
Rumor has it that this ban will no longer be in place once existing infrastructure is upgraded and made to meet the demands of this particular type of trading activity.