Ethical Farming Ireland and several other NGOs have sent an open letter to the European Commission and Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, Olivér Várhelyi, after the breakdown at sea of the livestock carrier Express M.

The Express M departed Romania for Haifa on February 22 with 2,400 cattle and 460 sheep on board. Ethical Farming Ireland and Israel Against Live Shipments tracked the voyage.

Shortly after departure, the vessel stopped and went to anchor for several days before resuming its journey at an abnormally slow speed of 3–4 knots. This was followed by several days of stopping, going to anchor for a while, then setting off again at a very slow speed. At one point the Express M seemed to be heading back to Romania before changing course again.

After nine days, Ethical Farming Ireland contacted the Romanian authorities who confirmed the vessel had mechanical problems. The captain was instructed to return the vessel to port to load more fodder. However, the transporter's representative contacted the captain who confirmed that the necessary repairs were carried out and that sufficient feed was onboard, supplemented in Istanbul.

Ethical Farming Ireland subsequently observed that the vessel went to anchor on two more occasions and that the voyage took 15 days instead of six. The condition of the animals arriving at Haifa port was very poor, says the organization, with animals completely caked in manure and many cases of nasal discharge and ringworm.

Caroline Rowley, Director of Ethical Farming Ireland, says the case once again demonstrates that live animal transport by sea is inherently unsafe and must be phased out as a matter of urgency. “These sea journeys are too risky and should be banned. We cannot guarantee the safety of animals once they have left our shores and time and time again serious incidents occur, where thousands of animals are stranded at sea, suffering appallingly.”

The movement against live export by sea has already seen the trade abandoned in the UK and New Zealand. Australia has a ban pending for the live export of sheep.

The Australian live sheep export industry by sea has historically been criticized for breaches to animal welfare standards, but not-for-profit organization Stop Live Exports also highlights the environmental impacts of the trade.

An EU report published by Europe by Human Behaviour Change for Life in 2023: The Benefits of a Carcass Over a Live Animal Trade, concluded that live export voyages have significant environmental impacts, including that CO2 emissions are six times higher for live export compared to chilled meat, and fuel consumption is seven times greater.

“Although this is an EU report, the fundamentals apply to the Australian trade, and Stop Live Exports is keen to draw attention to the environmental issues inherent in live export, a trade which has also been mired in horrific cruelty and abuse over the decades, as borne out by many investigations,” says Stop Live Exports spokesperson, Ruth Gourley. “The reality is that live animal export is both harmful to the planet and increases suffering for the animals being shipped. In comparison, the chilled meat trade is an established viable alternative which has benefited from strong growth over the past decade.”

Some recent livestock carrier issues include:

2024: Greece: 6,800 sheep and lambs; Lady Maria. Ship stranded off the coast of Greece after running aground.

Indonesia: ship capacity for 2,200-4,500 cattle; Brahman Express. More than 150 cattle die on route between Australia and Indonesia.

South Africa: 19,000 cattle; MV Al Kuwait. Overwhelming stench prompts inspection revealing diseased and injured animals and extreme build-up of feces and urine.

Australia: 14,000 sheep and 2,500 cattle; MV Bahijah. Ship stranded off Australian coast after being ordered to return due to armed conflict in Red Sea. Animals re-exported to Israel via a longer route.

2023: Australia: 3,600 cattle; Brahman Express. Fire in engine room - ship had to return to port.

Australia: 1,800 cattle; Nine Eagle. Major engine failure - animals returned to Australia after six days at sea.

2022: France: 780 bulls; Nadar A. Turned away from port and stranded at sea – livestock killed for welfare reasons.

New Zealand: 12,300 cattle; MV Al Kuwait. Ship broke down enroute to pick up cattle waiting in pre-export isolation - cattle stranded and welfare problems reported.

Sudan: 15,000 sheep; Badri 1. Ship sank - death by drowning.

2021: Suez Canal: 20 ships carrying animals (numbers unknown). Canal blocked - ships stranded at sea with insufficient feed and water.

Spain: 1,700 cattle and 864 young bulls; Elbeik & Karim Allah. Culled for welfare reasons after three months at sea.

2020: New Zealand: 6,000 pregnant cows; Gulf Livestock 1. Ship capsized – 41 crew lost.

2019: Romania: 14,000 sheep; Queen Hind. Ship capsized.

2018: Australia: 4,327 dairy heifers; MV Jawan. Ship makes emergency return to port after stability issues caused it to rock violently.

2017: Australia: 2,400 sheep; Awassi Express. Died on board - heat stress.