Press Releases

While bombs are falling in the Middle East, EU Member States continue to export live animals to the region, with the European Commission (EC) refusing to be held accountable. Public outcry is growing: With the support of the Eurogroup for Animals, the French animal welfare organisation Welfarm and the German NGO Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF) have…

No settlement was reached on Friday at the Krems Regional Court in the civil proceedings concerning the animal transport of the “Spiridon II.” The hearing was adjourned. A new hearing, expected to last all day, has been scheduled for mid-November. Several witnesses from Turkey are also expected to be heard at that time.

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…

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…

A global network of 36 animal welfare and protection organisations around the world has issued an urgent call to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to introduce binding international regulations for livestock carriers, warning that the ageing fleet poses serious and escalating risks to human life, animal welfare, public health and the…

The livestock vessel “Spiridon II”, which was stranded off the Turkish coast for more than a month after a month-long voyage from Uruguay with nearly 3,000 cattle on board, has reappeared in the Libyan city of Benghazi after three days of silence. Our team on site filmed the ship docking in the port area. According to one source on site, animal…

Court documents reveal the true extent of the disaster aboard the livestock vessel coming from Uruguay: at least 58 dead cattle, 140 births and 90 “untraceable” newborn calves.

The livestock carrier Spiridon II, carrying 2,901 cattle from Uruguay, has been stranded off the Turkish coast since 22 October. Upon arrival, the ship was denied permission to unload due to irregularities in ear tag documentation. According to a letter from the ship owner to the authorities, at least 48 animals have died so far. International…

Another serious case of animal cruelty on the high seas and massive failure on the part of the authorities: due to a faulty ship's engine, 2,400 cattle and 460 sheep were travelling at sea for over two weeks - on a journey that normally only takes 5 to 6 days. Animal welfare organisations are appealing to EU decision-makers to stop live animal…