Protest planned at Ramsgate
Following a High Court injunction earlier this week which overturned Thanet's Council suspension of live exports from the Port of Ramsgate, animal welfare campaigners are planning a major demonstration against the resumption of trade.
RSPCA chief executive Gavin Grant has declared his intention of joining protestors at the port on Friday, as the first batch of sheep is loaded onto boats, and Compassion in World Farming is also urging supporters to turn up.
However, the NFU has defended the live export trade, with chief livestock adviser Peter Garbutt saying the union was "reassured" by the High Court decision, which he says "supports the fact that the movement of animals throughout Europe is a legal activity."
75,000 sheep are due to be exported to France in time for the Muslim Festival of Eid on 26th October.