Skip to main content
Animal welfare initiativesTransport, Slaughter, Pick-up

78 bétaillères maritimes agréées par l’Union Européenne

By June 17th 2021June 30th, 2021No Comments

Document type : Report published by the Robin des Bois group, the Animal Welfare Foundation and Tierschutzbund Zürich


Author: Robin des Bois group


Preview: A compilation of statistics on the 78 EU-approved maritime livestock vessels has produced the following picture: The average EU-approved maritime livestock vessel is a 41-year-old vessel, contaminated with asbestos, PCBs and other toxic substances, built as a general cargo vessel and converted to transport livestock at the age of 29. It is 99 m long and has a gross tonnage of 5,261. It operates under a flag of convenience that is on the Paris Memorandum "black list" and is inspected by a classification society not belonging to the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). It has been impounded on five occasions. In the last two years, Port State inspections on board have found 32 deficiencies, involving certificates and documents, navigational safety, fire safety, the Maritime Labour Convention 2006, life-saving equipment, working and living conditions, pollution prevention, watertightness and weatherproofing, propulsion and auxiliary engines, emergency systems, radio communications, structural condition and ISM (International Safety Management). In summary, the typical EU-approved maritime cattle vessel can be designated as a substandard vessel and a vessel for demolition.


Report leading to two articles in Le Monde on 17 June 2021:

 Des cargos vétustes agréés pour le transport des animaux par l’Union européenne

 Transports de bétail en mer : « La maltraitance des animaux fait partie du système actuel »

From the Robin des Bois website