Illegal Shipment Of Horses Thwarted At UK Port Despite Ban On Live Exports

Authorities at Dover Port have intercepted an illegal transport of 20 horses, just a year after a similar incident in which 26 horses were rescued from smuggling attempts.

Despite the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Act 2024, which bans the export of live animals for slaughter, authorities suspect that some of these horses were being smuggled for slaughter and fattening in mainland Europe.

The horses included Irish Thoroughbreds, Connemaras, and leisure ponies, as well as a few that were being transported legally. Many of them were in critical condition, crammed into an unsuitable lorry under shocking conditions.

Officials at Dover were alerted to the transporter and, upon inspection, found a foal lying on the floor, unable to stand. This raised concerns about the condition of the other horses, after which the authorities redirected the lorry to a holding yard for further examination.

Once there, inspectors found that many of the horses were too weak and sick to travel. Some were suffering from strangles, a highly contagious bacterial infection that causes painful abscesses and fever. Ot…

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