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When European animals, like this Lithuanian bull, are exported live from the EU they can face horrific slaughter conditions.
In the slaughterhouses we visited, animals are forced violently into position.
They are strung upside down with chains, or flipped over.
In Lebanon we found one animal left suspended and conscious for over an hour.
This process is by no means a quick one.
Once their throats are cut, these animals can remain conscious for several minutes.
The distress and fear these animals suffer is unimaginable.
However, some animals don’t even make it to a slaughterhouse. Some face slow, terrifying deaths on the streets.
Animals are handled brutally.
Cattle are tied up
tripped over … and pinned down.
These men appear to have no training in good slaughter practice.
Animals are forced into uncomfortable and painful positions in order to have their throats cut, with blunt knives.
It can take many minutes for the animals to lose consciousness
While this trade continues, the EU must take responsibility for the welfare of the animals it exports.
Urgent action is required to help importing countries improve their slaughter practice.