Almost 3,000 Uruguayan cattle stranded at sea over ear tag issues

A livestock carrier transporting nearly 3,000 cattle from Uruguay has been stranded off the Turkish coast for more than two weeks.

Turkish authorities are refusing to allow the cattle to disembark due to issues with ear-tag numbers, the German-based Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF) has said.

The Spiridon II, which is carrying 2,901 head of cattle, understood to be mostly in-calf heifers, has been at sea for 50 days.

Turkish officials declined entry when documentation for the consignment failed to match up with with official tag records.

The AWF has demanded that the animals be unloaded to prevent further suffering and deaths.

"After days without a solution, we urgently appeal to the authorities to have the animals examined by a veterinarian and to put those that are sick or weakened out of their misery. The remaining animals must be brought ashore without delay," AWF has said.

According to a letter from the vessel’s owner, at least 48 cattle have died on board since departure.

Letter

The AWF has written to the European Commission requesting urgent EU action, describing the situation as a "critical and ongoing animal welfare crisis".

AWF explained in the letter that after such an extended journey, the cattle are likely to be in severely weakened condition, suffering from

fatigue, heat stress, and dehydration.

It added that supplies of fodder, bedding, and potable water are, by this stage, almost certainly depleted.

"In light of these circumstances, we respectfully request that the European Commission, through DG SANTE, take all possible diplomatic and technical steps to facilitate the immediate unloading of the surviving cattle."