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ARCHIVED - Cartagena port suspends export of livestock as transporter returns with outbreak of Bluetongue on board
The Karim Allah had left Cartagena on December 18 with 800 head on board and had been refused entry to Turkey
This is one of two livestock transporters stranded out at sea which have left Spain and been refused entry at their port of call due to sickness on board.
Animal welfare campaigners have called for live animal exports to stop due to an incident involving two livestock transportation vessels, which have been stranded out at sea for nearly two months with sick animals on board.
One of these, the Karim Allah, sailed from Cartagena and has now returned after being refused permission to disembark the animals on board in Turkey.
Cartagena Port Authority has temporarily suspended the export of livestock from the port until the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries has carried out an inspection of the vessel and dealt with the animals on board, some of which have already died and the remainder are said to be in a poor condition having been at sea for two months with little food on board.
The Animal Welfare Foundation expects that the animals will be euthanised following the inspection as most are said to be in an appalling condition, and the corpses of the animals which have already died must be disposed of according to health guidelines.
The ship left Cartagena on December 18, but returned to its home port on Tuesday after spending two months at sea without being able to obtain authorization to dock anywhere.
The livestock on board had been destined for Turkey, but were refused permission to dock due to an outbreak of Bluetongue on board.
Bluetongue disease is a noncontagious, insect-borne, viral disease of ruminants, mainly sheep and less frequently cattle, and in sheep, BTV causes an acute disease with high morbidity and mortality. Major signs are high fever, excessive salivation, swelling of the face and tongue and cyanosis of the tongue. Swelling of the lips and tongue gives the tongue its typical blue appearance, though this sign is confined to a minority of the animals.
The incubation period is 5–20 days, and all signs usually develop within a month, according to Wikipedia.
On Monday the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, informed the Port of Cartagena that they should give authorization for the livestock ship to dock in the port city, as it is their port of origin, and also announced its decision to paralyze the export of livestock from the Escombreras Dársena until the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries the body responsible for this matter, resolves the fate of the more than 800 head of animals on board the Karim Allah.
The president of the Cartagena Port Authority insists that the animals left the port "in perfect health with all health controls, after completing all inspections and complying with animal health regulations, European regulations and Ministry regulations.”
The head of the Port Authority said that "in the ten years that Cartagena has been exporting livestock, more than two million and eight hundred head have been exported and we have never had any problems," although reiterating that it is not the responsibility of the Port of Cartagena to determine the state of health in which the animals are exported.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries has confirmed that an inspection of the ship will take place once the ship docks.
This is not the only vessel in this situation; the Elbeik which set sail from Tarragona with 1,776 animals on board was refused permission to enter Libya and is currently moored off the coast of cyprus waiting for instructions with the same problem.
Animal welfare organisations have petitioned the Spanish Government and the European Commission to permit the vessels to return to their ports of origin so that the animals can be slaughtered humanely rather than left to starve out at sea and their corpses thrown overboard.
Finally, Spain accepted the petition of the European Commission and has permitted the Karim Allah to return to Cartagena
At the moment the vessel is anchored off Escombreras but has not yet formally requested permission from the authorities to dock.
Images: Animal Welfare Foundation