Today (14 June) on the tenth annual Ban Live Exports International Awareness Day, we are highlighting the plight of millions of farmed animals that are transported by sea every year.

These arduous journeys can span hundreds or even thousands of miles and can last many weeks. The live animals onboard – including calves, sheep, goats and pigs – are vulnerable to extreme conditions, such as overcrowding, exhaustion, dehydration, pain, and stress, which can all cause enormous suffering. To make matters worse, there’s often little or no legal protection for their welfare.

Global action

Citizens and NGOs are joining us today to raise awareness of these appalling conditions often found onboard ships transporting live farmed animals. Events are taking place around the world, from England and Ireland to Ecuador and Australia, and range from cinema screenings to public gatherings, marches to parliament and stalls at key ports.

This trade is also supported by private transport companies across the world, which are profiting from the suffering of these animals. Citizens are encouraged to email the ferry companies involved and urge them to stop enabling this inhumane trade. Supporters will also be taking to social media to amplify our message to ban live exports by sharing posts with the hashtag #BanLiveExports.

Charlotte Reid, Deputy Director of Global Campaigns at Compassion in World Farming, said:

On this tenth Ban Live Exports International Awareness Day we are raising awareness of the scale and impact of these cruel journeys by sea and sending a clear message to the companies that profit from this misery that it is totally unacceptable. We urge anyone who cares about animal welfare to show their support for urgent action by sharing campaign posts on social media and by avoiding travelling with the companies that profit from this appalling trade.

Ten years of #BanLiveExports

We first launched this annual awareness day in 2016 to mark the anniversary of 13,000 sheep who tragically lost their lives on a long sea journey from Romania to Somalia.

In recent ears a number of countries have introduced bans on the trade. In 2024, Great Britain introduced a ban on live exports for fattening and slaughter, and Australia aims to phase out live sheep exports by sea by 2028. Other European countries have acted, including Luxembourg in 2022, which banned exports to regions beyond the EU. In 2023, Germany announced that it would withdraw live exports certificates for trade outside of the EU.

Urgent change is needed

Unfortunately, many more countries still carry out this cruel trade by sea. In 2023, sheep were exported as far as from Portugal to Israel; goats were exported from Spain to Saudi Arabia, and cattle were transported all the way from Australia to the Middle East.

In the EU, many animals are transported initially by land, and then onwards by sea to countries outside the EU, even as far as Jordan in the Middle East - a journey that can take as long as fifteen days. This year alone, over 140,000 unweaned calves have been transported on 18-hour sea journeys between Ireland and France, and then onwards by road to other countries including Poland. This continues despite the EU Commission having recognised transporting such young calves on such long journeys is in breach of current regulations.

Take action

Today on Ban Live Exports International Awareness Day, we are urging all those who are concerned about animal welfare to avoid travelling with ferry companies transport live farmed animals for fattening or slaughter.

We are also asking supporters based in Europe to take action and email the ferry companies involved and urge them to stop enabling this inhumane trade.

Momentum gathers this Ban Live Exports International Awareness Day