Published 24/10/2008

As animal welfare specialists gathered for the second animal welfare conference in Cairo (20-22 October) Compassion in World Farming and Animals Australia revealed shocking new footage showing how animals are being mistreated and that guidelines adopted by 172 countries routinely ignored.

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) guidelines on animal welfare were adopted in 2005. But in shocking scenes from the Middle East, the USA and Europe, an undercover investigation shows that governments around the world are not implementing the OIE standards for transport and slaughter.

Animals are suffering unnecessarily: they are tossed in trucks, dragged or manhandled by their legs or horns, enclosed into car boots and left crowded in trucks parked in 45°C direct sun. In the US, as in Europe, sick or injured cows are treated with brutality as workers try to force them to their feet and into the abattoir.

Representatives of Compassion in World Farming presented the exclusive footage at the Conference on Islamic Principles on Animal Transport and Slaughter, which took place in Cairo alongside the OIE conference. It was organised by Ahmed El Sherbiny, Chairperson of The Egyptian Society Of Animal Friends and saw the participation of HRH Princess Alia Al Hussein of Jordan and Dr Ahsan, Director General of the Islamic Foundation in the UK.

Princess Alia commented: "Islam of course has long been very concerned with animal rights and if people observed proper Islamic procedures there would be no need for animal rights campaigns. We're very keen that people actually understand really what our true teachings are and observe them properly.

"Jordan is a signatory to the OIE agreement and we've made enormous steps in the past few months towards actually implementing them. Hopefully we'll be a role model for the region. We very much hope others will follow the example."

Dr Manazir Ahsan, Director General of the Islamic Foundation in the UK, shares these views: "It is very sad that animals worldwide, despite the efforts contained in
the OIE guidelines, are still the subject of the inhumane behaviour depicted in this film. There is no allowance in the Islamic religion for such appalling treatment of
another living creature."

Every day across the world hundreds of thousands of farm animals endure terrible suffering during transport and at slaughter. Much of this could be avoided if the OIE guidelines were observed. Compassion in World Farming urged OIE member countries to implement the guidelines both by incorporating them into their own legislation and by ensuring that they are really complied with in transport and slaughter operations.

We believe that farm animals should not and need not suffer.

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Read the Compassion in World Farming report: Long Distance Animal Transport in Europe: A Cruel and Unnecessary Trade, by Peter Stevenson, March 2008. Quote on page 9: Long distance animal transport in Europe 2008 ( 1276.17KB)