Live exports suspended after Ramsgate incident
All live exports have been suspended from Ramsgate Port until further notice, following an incident last week which saw 45 sheep die.
On Wednesday 12th September, 43 sheep were put down after a lorry was stopped at the port, and the animals found to be injured. The RSPCA found that none of the animals could reach the drinkers in the vehicle. In a separate incident, a loading area floor collapse while sheep were being taken off a lorry. Six sheep fell into the water but two drowned.
The following day, Thursday 13th September, Thanet council suspended all live exports from the port. The council said it would lift the ban following the construction of suitable facilities for the animals at the port.
Phil Stocker, Chief Executive of the National Sheep Association, said: "Our understanding is that this incidence could have been avoided if regulations and controls, which are effective in the majority of cases, were followed."
Agricultural minister David Heath has ordered an immediate review into the events at Ramsgate and the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) has been told to take a zero tolerance approach to enforcing and maintaining animal welfare.
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
