Ramsgate export suspension overturned
The High Court has overturned the temporary suspension of live animal exports from the Port of Ramsgate, following an appeal from three Dutch companies.
Thanet District Council ordered the suspension after a series of incidents which resulted in the death of 45 sheep in early September, but will now have re-open the port to exports immediately.
The RSPCA has said it is "deeply disappointed" with the decision, and the Council is expected to launch its own appeal, with council leader Clive Hart describing Ramsgate as an inappropriate place to carry out the export of live animals.
He said: "This is something we have been explaining to government agencies consistently for many months previously.
"The council is very clear in our view of this trade. However, if despite our strongest possible efforts to ensure the welfare of animals moving through the Port of Ramsgate, the High Court still determines that the port must re-open to this trade, then our hands are tied."
He added that the council will be meeting with lawyers to plan how best to progress the case.
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.
