... by date

11. June 2026

“Spiridon II” Hearing: Organizer of the Horrific Transport to Appear in Austrian Court on Friday

[Translate to AWF: English:]

Weeks of suffering on the high seas, hundreds of dead cattle, calves born in the most precarious conditions, and ultimately a sale to Libya: Nearly 3,000 cattle from Uruguay fell victim to an unprecedented failure in the international animal trade in the fall of 2025. On Friday, the Austrian livestock dealer allegedly responsible will appear before…

22. May 2026

After Years of Pressure: Bouvry Exports Horse Slaughter Plant in Canada Permanently Closed

After years of research, on-site investigations, and international pressure, one of the most horrific places we have ever documented has finally disappeared: the Bouvry Exports horse slaughterhouse in Alberta, Canada, has ceased operations.

15. May 2026

‘The problem is not the antibiotics’: Animal welfare groups react angrily to Brazilian meat ban - Euronews reports

The online news portal Euronews reports on the planned ban on imports of Brazilian meat into the EU. The outlet also quotes our project manager, Sabrina Gurtner, and cites our recent investigation about South American feedlots for the article.

08. May 2026

International Meeting on Horse Welfare: Sabrina Gurtner Visits Belwade Farm in Aberdeen

Sabrina Gurtner (back row, second from the right) together with other horse advocates from various countries.

In mid-April, our project manager, Sabrina Gurtner, traveled to Aberdeen to meet with experts in horse welfare from across Europe. The event was organized by the Eurogroup for Animals—the umbrella organization for European animal welfare groups—and brought together 19 participants from various countries.

21. April 2026

Police training is making a difference

During the workshop, we inspected 10 transport vehicles together with police officers and official veterinarians.

Last week, we trained the Saxony-Anhalt State Police in identifying violations of animal transport regulations. At the same time, during a large-scale inspection in Germany, over 70 percent of the transports were found to be in violation—proof of what trained eyes can achieve.

17. April 2026

Report on the suffering of blood mares and the current political debate in Switzerland

[Translate to AWF: English:]

The online portal “Infosperber” provides a detailed report on the “torture hormone” PMSG in a new article and also addresses the current political debate over a legal ban on PMSG in Switzerland. The article explicitly references our research and explains why extracting the hormone from the blood of pregnant mares causes significant animal…

02. April 2026

Lamb transports before Easter: Broken legs, no water, barely any space

Together with Essere Animali we checked lamb transports on the way to Italian slaughterhouses.

Together with the Italian organization Essere Animali, we inspected long-distance transports of lambs to Italy shortly before Easter. In the process, we documented numerous violations of the animal transport regulations—including, for example, injured animals that were transported despite having broken legs. We filed complaints against two…

23. March 2026

New findings in the “Spiridon II” case: Organizer Allegedly Knowingly Accepted the Deaths of the Cattle

Following the tragedy on the livestock transport ship “Spiridon II,” which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of cattle, Turkish importers are leveling serious allegations against an Austrian livestock dealer. He is alleged to have knowingly accepted the animals’ deaths. Our investigations show: The horrific tragedy on the “Spiridon II” was not an…

25. February 2026

Open letter: Iceland must consistently apply EU law in the horse blood industry

Together with partner organizations, we are calling for the consistent enforcement of EU law in the Icelandic horse blood industry in an open letter. For us, it is clear that blood collection from pregnant mares for PMSG is not a secondary agricultural activity, but a scientific procedure in accordance with the EU/EEA Directive – and must therefore…