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
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
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