The UK has closed the port of Ipswich to live animal exports, only a week after the trade was resumed.
Lobbying by British animal welfare charity the RSPCA, resulted in the port’s owners, Associated British Ports (ABP) confirming that the port did not have suitable handling facilities for animals in the event of an emergency, leading ABP to supend the trade of live exports immediately.
The port only resumed these operations last week after an incident at Ramsgate port in which 43 sheep were put down on welfare grounds. The animals were discovered to be unfit for export after the lorry carrying the 500 sheep was declared unfit to travel. Two French lorry drives were arrested at the scene.
An investigation into the incident has been launched by the secretary of state for agriculture.
