David Cameron – British Prime Minister; has sadly bleated on for weeks now in the lead up to the UK / EU In / Out referendum being held on 23rd June; about how essential it is for the UK to remain in the EU.
Well here is yet another example of just how pathetic Mr Cameron’s EU is. Did we hear anything about animal welfare issues during the renegotiations which Cameron and the EU took place in a few months ago ? – No. He was only busy looking after business and his banker mates who work in the city – nothing else matters.
So we were annoyed, but not really surprised, (after all we have been campaigning for many years !), to see the latest from wonderful Lesley at ‘Eyes on Animals’ regarding the situation for EU animals being exported live to Turkey. As some of you will know, this has been an issue which we have been very actively involved with quite a lot over recent months.
The response to Lesley and the TSB/AWF from Bernard van Goethem (at the EU Commission) just shows everything that is continually WRONG WITH THE EU; and further supports why many people in the UK are in support of getting out completely. For many in the animal welfare camp, this abuse of evidence and the essential changes (from the EU) which are necessary but are not happening as a result of clear evidence just show how separated from the real world Mr Van Goethem and all his team are.
Here below is the post meeting statement from EoA with regard their meeting with the EU (Van Goethem) regarding live animals suffering at the EU / Turkish border for many days.
Mr van Goethem holds a meeting with his team.
You can read and check out more on the EoA website which is at
http://www.eyesonanimals.com/category/news/bad-news-2/
So lets recap a few of the main points associated with this.
The EU claims to have a Council Regulation, No 1/2005 of 22 December 2004, on the protection of animals during transport and related operations. This legislation is supposed to protect animals in transport – but it does nothing of the kind as we have shown with evidence for many years. The scope of the directive states – “This Regulation shall apply to the transport of live vertebrate animals carried out within the Community, including the specific checks to be carried out by officials on consignments entering or leaving the customs territory of the EU”.
In reality, what this means is the EU has, on paper only, some kind of pointless regulation, which hauliers do not comply with; which many EU member states do not comply with; and most worryingly, which the EU is utterly afraid to use as a pointer for any kind of prosecutions.
I am afraid that I have no more faith in Mr Van Goethem and his team than I do being able to ride a pushbike from the UK to Australia without a single stop !
Have a look at the terrible video made by EoA which shows EU animals destined for Turkey and the terrible conditions in which they are transported by some EU member states. Remember, this video evidence was made by EoA some 5 years ago, and has been presented to the EU as clear breaches of Regulations for as many years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udReHkAumrY&feature=youtu.be
As you may remember, Mark made several phone calls to Marco Valletta at the EU about the suffering of EU animals destined for Turkey. Just like Mr van Goethem, Mr Valletta is a very well paid EU diplomat who in reality does very little. If they did do something, then we would not see the suffering at the Turkish border as is shown in the video from Lesley for example.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udReHkAumrY&feature=youtu.be
And yet, even with an alleged ‘Council Regulation’ to support them, our friends at EoA in the Netherlands had word back from the EU Commission that:
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“Mr Van Goethem and his team informed us that they cannot take any concrete steps to change the situation”;
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And that they “do not have the power to put an end to the way this trade being run despite it being in violation of their own EU legislation”.
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“they cannot forbid anything”
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“They also cannot insist that a stable be built at the border to unload the animals in urgent situations, nor insist on shade and more water pumps be placed there”.
“The EU Commission has so little power over the exporting Member States that routinely cause problems”.
So in summary, Mr van Goethem and his team at the EU, have EU legislation (in the form of a Regulation 1/2005) to ‘protect’ animals during transport. But in reality, and despite this EU Regulation, the EU cannot, or does not wish to give protection to EU animals which are being transported to Turkey !, or to many other locations within the EU. It would be a joke it was not so bad and involve so much suffering.
So, what is the point of a farce of an ‘EU Regulation’ to protect animals during transport ? when it is clear (and has been for many years) that regulations and rules do nothing and mean nothing to certain member states ? – are we not going to see the same when Serbia joins up ?
Also – What is the actual point of Mr Van Goethem and his ‘team’ when they cannot even enforce EU regulations that exist or take action to amend the blatantly clear animal abuse and suffering evidence which is presented to them ?
Maybe it would be best for the useless Van Goethem and his team to all take very early retirement; like this week ! – who wants to pay millions into an EU each week only then to witness gutless and pointless departments such as van Goethems come along and say “well there is not really anything we can do despite the regulations”.
Is that an EU – if it is, then it is crap; just like the majority who ‘work’ and take money from it.
So, where are we now ? – nowhere different to where we were last week or probably 5 years ago, as Lesley’s video makes clear. We fight on as always, against utterly useless bureaucrats like Mr Van Goethem, – the man with a nice pay cheque but a man who can not enforce the regulation.
If this is not the best example of why the UK should get out of the EU, then he and his team are a wonderful example. It is a typical example of the people who take fat salaries, sit in the corridors of Brussels, and then tell us that in reality, they are powerless to do anything for the better. Do we want to be in an EU run by Van Goethems and the rest ? – NO.
As an existing EU citizen, I should be able to rely on the EU, my EU, to take action when it is obviously clear (in evidence) that things are wrong. The evidence is clear, but the Van Goethems of this world do not, cannot and will not take action against those who break the rules. That is a sad situation; I guess when a situation like that arises, you get up and walk away, and take action and campaign from the outside.
Hopefully, come 23rd June, that is what the people of the UK will do. As for the EU; well it can fester in its own uselessness whilst giving welcoming kisses and hugs to new corrupt member states such as Serbia; or ‘Romania 2’ as it is now called.
Our petition for animals exported to Turkey is still open.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/763/168/053/eu-commissioners-fail-live-animals-transported-to-turkey./
Read more from Lesley at http://www.eyesonanimals.com/europe-plans-export-5000-cattle-turkey-extreme-heat/
Send an e mail to the utterly useless EU team using this address – cab-andriukaitis-webpage@ec.europa.eu
Lesley has produced a sample letter which you can send to the useless Commission at the above e mail. Copy and send or use it as the basis for your own.
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear Commissioner Andriukaitis,
The suffering of farm animals trucked along the route from Europe to Turkey is well known. Your authorities at the EU Commission and all exporting Member States have received photos, video footage and detailed reports about the reality on the ground there since 2010. These problems are not incidences, but routine violations of the EU animal-transport legislation and to the dignity of sentient beings. Society has evolved, and transporting live animals in ways that are known to cause, or seriously risk causing suffering and pain, is no longer acceptable. I am a resident of Europe and I would like to kindly insist that the European Commission puts its foot down on this trade route and finally puts an end to the misery. I am particularly appalled at the fact that Europe is planning on exporting over 5000 cattle this month to Turkey, right when the summer heat peaks and suffering is known to be the most unbearable.
Please let the Commission know you are an EU citizen if you reside within an EU member state.
Other past posts we have written on the EU / Turkish exports issue:
https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/2016/03/08/england-eu-turkey-live-exports-update-8316/
https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/2016/04/29/england-29416-sav-today-sent-formal-reply-from-eu-commission-on-live-animal-exports-to-turkey/
https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/2016/04/05/netherlands-live-exports-eu-turkey-from-eyes-on-animals/
https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/2016/04/05/england-eu-live-exports-to-turkey-latest-news-4416/
https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/2016/04/27/update-27416-live-animal-exports-turkish-border-sample-letter-to-copy-and-send/
https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/2016/04/06/england-further-update-turkish-live-exports-6416/
https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/2016/04/01/england-response-from-eu-regarding-turkish-live-export-petition/
https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/2016/03/01/36981/
https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/2015/11/25/england-over-176000-eu-citizens-sign-to-stop-live-exports/
https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/2016/02/24/england-copy-of-eu-turkish-border-animal-transport-video-now-sent-to-all-57-members-of-the-european-parliament-meps/
You ask yourself – what is the point of giving millions of pounds to the EU each week when they disregard your evidence and are as useless as what they are ?
Vote out – and we say that to all EU member states.
Above – June 23rd – just as useless as EU politicians
– one thing and one thing only of interest to them – self survival !
Problem ? – what problem ? – we say no problem.
Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, GLOBAL PETITIONS - Anything Animal, Anywhere !, LETTERS, PHOTOGRAPHS - **WARNING** (Animal Suffering), The "Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) ALLIANCE, VIDEOS |
Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) 
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