Ethical Farming Ireland
A 1979-built livestock carrier has entered the Mediterranean, cruising aimlessly around southern Europe, awaiting new orders having been barred from entering Ireland.
The Sarah M was due to arrive at Greenore port on Ireland’s northeast coast on April 30 to collect cattle for export. However, the ship had recently been classed with the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping and so was subject to European Union sanctions, something the NGO Ethical Farming Ireland alerted the authorities to, leading to the ship’s entry into Ireland being barred.
Ethical Farming Ireland has been making shipping headlines this year. The NGO wrote to the Irish agriculture minister Charlie McConalogue in February demanding changes to the way animals are exported by sea following a joint investigation with the NGO Israel Against Live Shipments where the health of animals is checked at the point of departure and on arrival.
“Poor nutrition, overcrowded pens, stress, lowered immunity and humidity will all have contributed to rapid spread [of ringworm] amongst the young bulls,” the letter stated.
