Every year before Easter, Italy imports thousands of lambs for slaughter. Our team has been investigating the trade and violations against animal welfare during transport for half a decade. Together with the Polish animal welfare organisation, VIVA, we started a trial in 2018 against the organiser of one of these transports and the official…

Our team is investigating the cattle market in Bodzentyn. In January, we document more traders and animals than during the previous months. This circumstance is probably related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, the government decided to support Polish farmers by temporarily suspending the entry fee to animal markets.

During our market…

The COVID-19 Pandemic hit Poland hard. This also has an impact on the animals that are living in the poorest region of Poland. This is where our team is active. In December, we decided that we will extend our animal welfare work that is usually focused on farm animals to dogs and cats for a couple of months. We will be supporting animals in need…

Due to Christmas, we expect more animals at the Bodzentyn cattle market in December. However, our team finds that the number of cattle remains at its usual amount - about 150 animals. During our market inspection we do not observe any injured or neglected animals. The atmosphere during the market days is very calm.

At the horse market in…

Due to the very low temperatures this month, the cattle trade did end much earlier than usual. Some traders decided not to unload the animals from their lorries to protect them from the cold. During our inspection we see mostly calves, young cattle and just very few cows. This time we do not observe any animal welfare violations.

Next, our team is…

Today, a court case regarding a transport of unweaned calves from Poland to Spain that was carried out back in 2018 has been resolved.

Our team stopped a transport of calves in Germany together with the help of the German police. The transport was just on its way from Poland to a control post in France. Back in 2018, the German authorities…

Today, we receive news about a court case regarding animal abuse on a farm in Starachowice. Our team, as well as the veterinary inspection, has been monitoring this farm since 2017. Back then, our team discovered a herd of 14 starving and neglected cattle, two severely mistreated horses and a dozen sick cats. Initially, we offered the family our…

Today, we receive the verdict in a case that is related to an investigation that we carried out on the horse market in Skaryszew in 2018.

During the market inspection, our team discovered a dilapidated horse trailer with big holes in the sidewalls and the floor. The entire construction was only held together by a transport belt. It appeared that…

The situation on the animal markets remains quite stable. The average number of cattle in Bodzentyn is around 150. Currently, the prices for cattle are very low and most animals are not being sold and return to their farms. During our inspection we do not see any injured or sick animals.

At the horse market we do not see a single horse. There have…