years old at some point it was repurposed to carry livestock transports that unfortunately not very well and 2016 we got onto the ship it shouldn't be allowed to carry animals so. it's full of things that animals can injure themselves on the ramps are steep not for animals when they run out of the sheds they have to make a 90 degree bend and go straight down steep perhaps then their head with electric process that looked much higher than i think this is happening today there is one deck on the ship that's only one metre 60 high not even a person can stand on it but can also regularly load it and there it's terrible the animals can't reach their food or water and if there is a problem no one would crawl through there to get an animal out of those away. for years they carry mylar has to burst the mediterranean with its cargo of

livestock for the middle east. a few years ago animal welfare managed to smuggle about onboard you recorded these images during the crossing. to shore the cattle packed together with insufficient water troughs an animal struggling to reach them . the ship looks neglected to credit with potentially hazardous ragged and rusty metal edges. just 3 days at sea and the 1st animals die. the cows lie admit their own excrement. investigations by the european commission confirm these abysmal conditions several inquiries last year found serious shortcomings on this and other vessels but found that the watering system was broken the food trucks were empty the cattle were weak and underweight the cattle were soiled with urine feces the donation system in certain areas did not work as a true a. moment all right but we asked the un's buthe

a professor of criminal law at mannheim university for a legal standpoint on all this. i think he's an expert on animal protection laws this could be. what the european how much risk what regulations have extra has for the transport of animals by sea venda vessels don't conform to them. in their ship is not legally permitted to transport animals. and if there are sharp edges and corners that could injure the animals. that's also a violation of the rules require their animal to transport it in a way that they are not haunted. ok i was there so i stood on the rooftop so transports and ships like that shouldn't be taking place often that's right yes. and yet they are taking place despite the scenes like those on the cutting well not being documented time and time again and the carcasses of dead cattle are simply

dumped at sea. all this week with that 2 units are up the animal exporter we interviewed untowered on a. no longer piece lead they're thrown in the water. into the sea. oh isn't that simple i. suppose it is not possible because. it's the law of nature. it's also illegal given the mediterranean natural preservation status. as a result it's not uncommon for beach goers in israel to find carcasses washed up on the sand. the animals are shipped across the mediterranean to the middle east mostly to the ports of beirut haifa and gaza. german cattle usually end up in arab countries and what happens there.

are shown footage of how transporters and meat workers treat the animals in these countries we see upsetting images of animal cruelty the likes of which we've never seen before. some of the pictures are too disturbing to show in their entirety. i. but here they're even children watching the moon is a bit like an affair. i. first the cattle are tied off and then restrained by force i. i kicked slapped pushed over the i was. close. to losing.

and then brutally winched on to a truck. there's no respect no sympathy for the maltreated that i. had to subjected to poor violence. a much more workers stand in a pool of blood while they slashed the cows throats. for neither stun nor anesthetized beforehand. i receive pictures from gaza beirut and the west bank. it all over to. be good when we meet the filmmakers who took this put it together dividing and polish from animals international what's their main take away from what they've seen. often to miss often the knives silent sharp or long enough we've seen them

stabbing at the carotid artery. in egypt lebanon and other countries it's the norm for the tendons in the legs to be slashed and for the eyeballs to be cut out on the bay and then on to. our organization has been in these countries for more than 10 years documenting the suffering and misery of these animals being exported from germany and other e.u. countries and all this time nothing has changed. and i have never seen any word in these this to a nation neutering nordoff nor even near east or in the middle east anything that would be illegal in your opinion the reason this is happening is that there are no laws in those countries to protect d.n.a. markers and the anymore is are being seen as objects and not as a living beings its moments when there anymore is losing its dignity because the

anyone can smell death and any mother can see death it's all or all these and she knows what's coming there is a single reason why nor matter how many anymore i was die as they all died this is to the good business it simply because of the price in the destination contrie is sometimes even then biomes more than european union business built on the suffering of animals deemed a waste product by germany's dairy industry. we asked professor about the role of the german veterinarian thora after all they're aware the animals are being transported destined for the middle east. if the veterinarian knows the transport will very probably result in the conditions we've just described. is your transport permit. it's his responsibility to stop it in accordance with the animal protection regulations if you allow situation were to go. then he is going to this and even

just slaughter and thus himself has acted and the better it will cruelty so does that apply to slaughter that doesn't happen for another 9 months but because it can happen 20 years later it doesn't matter. in 2019 more than 60000 cattle were exported from germany. some federal states such as the varia and has a have designated these countries high risk for animal welfare and want to ban cattle export to them. but what about this year the transport of livestock has continued to lebanon war torn libya and morocco with little sign that the german veterinarian thorniest interested in animal welfare. the export of dairy cows to morocco is usually said to be for breeding purposes sent over in trucks the cattle are allegedly aimed at boosting the north african countries own beef cattle population. high yielding german

dairy cows enter the country feel the port of tangier and are brought to the casa blanca region. the animals angels group filmed these images and 29000 at 1st glance they give the impression that the animals are well fed and well treated. but we're skeptical and want to find out whether german animals are really being brought here to build up morocco's beef cattle industry. in december 21000 we fly to casa blanca to find out more. as a number one from the animal protection group animals angels goes with us she's familiar with the situation there. one of the organizations moroccan members picks up. a little id. and over the next few days will be looking at cattle markets east of casa blanca.

well johnny is our starting point. ali has already laid the groundwork we want to see for ourselves whether german animals end up in such cattle markets. and it's a sunday morning. on a large area of ground outside the city. preparations are underway for the market. due to open the next morning. my guess is that every monday everyone yet in this area at various use markets and it's the most important area. by 6 o'clock the next morning the market is already buzzing to life. that traders arrive in under 2 hours being set up. the animals that are brought

here are often slaughtered right away. this trader tells us that he has a kaffir belgian budget's. it looks like. it's traditional another comes from luxembourg we hear. there increasing signs that animals being sold here originate in the e.u. . most of the trade is in young calves and sheep. on the next day we travel to a place near mara cash it's the site of one of the region's biggest cattle markets . traders bring their animals on open trucks 1st we only see cattle from the surrounding area.

but then we discover european couse. this animal is from france. it has several your tax someone has tried to cover up its country of origin. and in the middle of it all seems like this cow is being milked in filthy conditions. right next to the grounds of the opportunity. animals that have changed hands are brought here for slaughter. for filming with concealed camera. the florist covered with blood hanging from the ceiling one slaughtered carcass after the next. year by more animals are being slaughtered other still fully conscious it's an open area anyone can come in. a short while later we make a discovery that your tag shows this is a high producing house from germany. and. next we find another one among this group

of cattle this time it's a horse time for. it's just been sold so we hang around a bit to watch what happens. was that it's forced up a steep ramp onto a totally unsuited truck. we see many incidents like this one where here. it's driven away with other animals. so. we asked the driver whether we can follow him. i think. he says we can't. so for an hour we drive north behind the animal transport parallel to the atlas mountains until we arrive in a small town. a

makeshift ramp is used again to unload 2 cattle including the german dairy cow. they're led away but we're not allowed to see where. berth for. the traders are getting annoyed. at the truck drivers more often they're being taken away for slaughter he tells us i would flutter here means restraining the animal going to get onto the floor several men seize the animal and turn its neck until someone finds the right place to stick a knife and. it's a horrific procedure i. i your tag informs us that the dairy cow was sent for export to morocco by a company called my stuff and i. must often does one of the biggest names on the german cattle market. as a frequent sponsor of cattle shows the name is synonymous with the most beautiful and best mewling breeds. on its home page the company

mentions that around a quarter of its beef cattle are exploited to african and arab states. we raised our concerns with mustard to about finding one of their cows in a moroccan cattle market and it's inhumane slaughter. we received this written response. the marketing of animals for slaughter is fundamentally forbidden. of course we are aware that breeding cattle are expected to live forever are then taken to slaughter however they are the basis for the creation of domestic beef cattle populations and the basis for the continued profitable breeding of that population amusin regions. but is it true that morocco is really building up a domestic beef cattle population and the aim is breeding.

we visit michaud model heads of a t.v. jenny a german veterinary association that actively advises and helps to promote animal welfare he's looked in detail at the breeding programs and cattle importing countries such as morocco in well over 20 deaths hut in morocco the average fan sizes for animals at the moment that means that production is relatively low intensity that building up the herd basically means we're breeding. so still these are breeding cattle socks. but simply milking them off the carving isn't grantee it's kind of typical as i said cloth texts that means these animals are actually for slaughter them although they've been brought there as breeding animals i guess this is. the sense here animals for slaughter that would otherwise principally be used for milk production but since there's no breeding bench knowledge it is in the slot is that legal to go declaring them as breeding animals is false.

the longest and most exhausting animal transport currently starts from germany going through poland. us and russia all the way to central asia. in feb 21000 a team of animals angels activists followed one of their transports. the group from both trucks from their 1st supply stop in small at. the journey takes place and driving snow and icy temperatures. and that despite it being illegal to transport animals below 5 degrees celsius. lessons are you can see the cyclops on the truck or open field engineer the animals are covered in snow when the outside temperature 'd is below minus 7 so you have the added problem of the water systems freezing and the transport but in times for. the animals are suffering from exhaustion the animal welfare group says that because of the cold

and the slow roads the trucks hardly stop even though they're on a 6000 kilometer trip that will last days. when they do stop it's only to throw in some part or to the animals. during veterinarian checks as they left germany the drivers had given assurances that they would make proper stops that supply stations in russia. the trucks are on the road for a total of 10 days clocking up over 6100 kilometers. so do the supply stations in russia even exist. we had to be spotted in western germany to meet an expert on the matter. she's the has the state animal welfare commissioner monoline martin. unhappy with

accounts she heard she and 3 other veterinarians travel to russia last year. we haven't but we did actually find 2 supply stations with a russian permit in the small island screen. for us and con and they got a very open reception one and were allowed to look at everything. in the 2nd one was quite different the manager there was clear about not allowing us access he even had a man with a gun and was. very inspired and turned over. to stone haven't. the 2nd part of the trip went towards all speakers town dogs so this along this route there was not a single supply station with the russian permit the horses it's all on. and all that means it's impossible to one load animals. of course that's extremely

shocking because we were finding these places with decrepit stalls. and no water or electricity. or the bus sometimes the stations were no more than a pile of haiti under a roof. so it was clear in late 2019 the facilities for animal transports in russia were inadequate again germany's veterinarian a 40 showed little interest. in february animal welfare activists from animals angels depart for kazakstan they want to find out whether central asia is better than russia for supply stations. at the end to check out the situation not only in kazakhstan but also in respect us there we go with them. we have to drive 1000 kilometers until we reach the route used by the animal transports to enter the

country. what have you today we're driving from. kent to make up some time. and then off to shim kent well beyond the routes that the trucks will pass where. several 100 kilometers and there's little change in the landscape. it's extremely cold. this is the road that leads to the border with russia. the next morning we reach the 1st supply station it was listed in permit papers. at 1st glance it looks like a truckers cafe. if it looks like a motel and a gas station what's that meant to be. informants on the flyer information says there should be a supply station. and here again i want to thank you. but there's nowhere here 20

more animals. looks like it could be a hole for some or hardy. yes maybe. then they run with it and then the veterinarian authorities get information on what i meant to be supply station is all they have all coordinates on google maps coming up on maps and you went to those coordinates and all you see is 3 buildings and roofs from above. you don't know what's in them what the best stables houses or storage sheds everything to back up if you're not on the ground there's no way of checking some of the work that. we drive further north a place that's also listed in the transport documents of the supply station. we make a similar discovery. and for start there are no facilities for animals

here. was that listed with the german authorities as a supply station and. now that we are aware of no there's no list of supply stations in kazakhstan nothing official anyway just gets me. but a 3rd location is said to have a stable oh no power has entered the coordination center smartphone. and. this is the building it looks like the roof has recently undergone repairs. burning and. the animal welfare activists managed to get some footage from inside it's a storage hall for machinery there's no evidence of animals having ever been on noted here the walls of the cold through in winter this hall is practically unusable.

we carry on towards the russian border. the temperature drops below minus 18 degree celcius way too cold to be transporting animals legally. and weeks later the animals angel's team has spotted 2 transports they're carrying pregnant cows from germany breeding cattle. each truck has just one driver when they stop for a break the animal stay inside the trucks. and . one evening towards the end of february the trucks are parked at a roadside stop for the drivers to take what seems to be a likely break it's a chance to look inside to transport. the animal stand on their own excrement and after more than 5000 kilometers on the road appear exhausted. there are some lying

on the cold metal truck floor. the ceiling is a loft. there are signs that the animals have knocked up against it repeatedly during the journey. the verdict. well certainly. the trucks should take a 24 hour break there on the animals should be unloaded so they can recover at one of these resting stables some by the memphis we found that the animals weren't on loaded the trucks start 15 hours with the animals parked in science and they were fed and given water but it wasn't listed jittery 24 hour break so basically it's proof that as soon as these transports have passed the e.u. 6 stereo borders they can no longer be subjected to checks. and i think. the official declaration on this transport said nothing about a journey with help proper breaks or without the animals once being unloaded.

the veterinarian authority back in germany who say sure reagent declined to be interviewed. they say they 1st wanted to see evidence although they could just as easily demand to see the carrier's transport records. in april the russian authorities finally informed the german government that there are currently no supply stations open. the official confirmation of something animal rights groups have been documenting for the past year. finally some german states respond by imposing restrictions or outright bans on animal transports to central asia. but does that mean that the practice has been stopped completely. a vet from the eastern state of london borke tells us that cattle are now being transported via other you countries to that destination. it's known the transport leave from poland slovakia hungary and italy and they're known to avoid austria. so who is responsible now.

the view than that of a neighborhood in the truest of the very merry authorities of the smallest cock in the will. and i don't see the european commission as necessarily responsible for. their regulations are relatively clear appropriate procedures should be in place to put pressure on member states. the german government says the federal state governments are responsible for their actions and that's true. i often get the impression that economic interests mean there's no inclination to change their lives. so the transports continue. for the ball caps that are export to be under surname german states and 3rd countries transported for fattening up before being packed into boats and shipped off to the middle east.

and the breeding cattle many of which end up in arabian artois where fully conscious will have their throats cut under inhumane conditions. these kind of animal transports must stop. and fair play. this ideology may apply to soccer but it doesn't always apply to the manufacture of soccer balls there's a lot of money and. most of the world soccer balls are made in steel cut taxes to. be visiting a company that inheres to fair trade standards. made in germany. in 30 minutes on. entering the

conflict zone with tim sebastian american secretary of state sounds in a blink and was in ukraine last week closing up our views also words of comfort and support for the country the russian troops are glass 2 huge numbers close to avoid a sluggish this week easy phrase for louis to be true coolly about what did he get out of the visit so what was he asked to do this conflict zone this 90 minutes on d w. training trades. that you love. she would take straight of it into outfits and glitter glitter glitter. in. their fight against prejudice and up old cable like i did nothing and just dancing. and for

recognition. little stars on the big stage. kids start to miss it until. w. . this is deja vu news and these are top stories israeli airstrikes in gaza intensified today amid hints the military is preparing for a possible ground offensive there health officials in gaza say the death toll from israeli airstrikes has risen to more than 50 including 14 children a mosque rockets fired into israel have killed at least 6 people washington says it's sending a special envoy to the region in a bid to deescalate tensions.