also built a ground invasion the hamas rule territory overnight the israeli air force stepped up strikes on gaza as hamas launched hundreds of rockets far to ensure it's right. there watching to w. news up next is africa the environment that is in the tourney margins for me and all of us here at g.w. thanks for watching. because. you feel more even possibly. lead to. a meal. on the green funds and so it's clear remains true. joining critique dive into the green transformation for me to use the concept. of.

southern germany. for years it's been a departure point for long distance animal transports today it's cabs just separated from their mothers. very profitable here in germany young bulls often go for export. are headed for northern spain and another collection point. this footage was filmed by. the animal welfare foundation she's followed the transports for more than 20 years the slide in their care about us always are the noises the cats make when they're suffering and they increase as the journey goes on. and it more and more calves join in this bellowing you see them making everything sucking at. each other and are really in

a kind of starvation stress the animals are under common and stress killers and then. after an almost 20 hour journey the animals are on loaded spray many of the young calves are completely exhausted saw having survived the ordeal. in this film we tracked animal transports not only to spain. we also find out what happens to german livestock sent to other places such as north africa. and russia where we document the longest transport of german animals over thousands of kilometers to central asia. get.

it early december $21000.00 when we set out with it was bombed out now for the 1st time. we want to find out what exactly is going on behind the trade in young cattle and what happens to the animals i mean it's a new name frontally yet we're driving to a collection point near to clear. vision to put come i was tipped off by an official who said young calves were being transported via various collection playoffs to staying with her for she knows that most dame times but she had to be at. the collection point is located in a small village on the river most of us watch as what goes on from an opposite hill she's expecting a transport to arrive today from bavaria. suddenly and around 3 o'clock in the morning trucks begin arriving while others depart. we follow 2 animal transporters. they take a strange route they should be heading straight across the border into france but

instead they take a huge detour if you have to be. the german cabs are unloaded at the collection point and so close by euro news. according to animal transport regulators the cattle should be watered and fed and allowed to rest for 48 hours now. next morning a friend i didn't call or not works for the french animal welfare group well farming what are they expecting. that hans part of the transport will probably go on to spain and that's what we assume there are german cabs there too but we just don't know yet when they'll start to load the i reckon they'll do it when it gets light what to expect today welcome hope and where we expect our living in the morning and go to the opinion and maybe we can but his control you're betting

on. writing letters and indicates but. it's the afternoon less than 24 hours after arriving the transport is on the move again. we're on the highway heading to the south of france. and. the cabs have already been in transport for much longer than is legally permitted. at a service area near noon the drivers take a break it's a chance for the animal rights activists to get a closer look and maybe have a word with the drivers. in. the ear tags suggest there are german animals on board mostly from bavaria and been written back yet. you know you just ask the drivers where they've come from and where they're going you know. they say they came from near you louis and are heading to spain. no mention of the fact that they started off in bavaria.

back in the car either legal or not contacts the french police she asked them to stop the trucks and check their. citizenship you know missing their character she said but before she has even finished her call the transporters off again. the animal welfare activists follow them and didn't even see him it seems as if i didn't know. he just tell me they don't have enough stuff for a check and unfortunately they couldn't do anything tonight. the 2 women watches the trucks pass the border into spain without a hitch. we want to know how this transport was possible in the 1st place even though you laws prohibit such long journeys. we head to the veterinary office and speak to the man a charge that you can all just not want. to go he's brought some colleagues for

support. these transports for the loading and unloading are monitored and the papers are checked to make sure they're ok and it doesn't that we know it's a check on paper you know there's a check on the ground to let us know what kind of check exactly. you know if you have is your chance to see whether the animals appear to be healthy or not the nation is on. the. but the office also ought to check whether the transport is credible. this came from a very obvious clear to eyes us. and that's almost double the distance it needed. shouldn't that alone arouse some suspicion. he said this did no one ask why the animals were taken to ensure holden and then to stop when a direct route would have been quicker. according to our checks the transport times

by the book it's an economical decision whether to take the direct route of or take a diversion. why would a diversion be economical. that i can't be the judge of that each company must decide for itself which route makes most sense. no one here appears ready to go beyond the call of duty but we're not giving up quite yet. mr frewen some of your tags when the trucks were parked in southern france. that's enough for us to trace which farm the cabs originally came from. the tags lead us to a small parish and of a very regional are going. on the farmer to let them know we're coming. over for your focus of your meats on the early evening. is this your

farm. and you keep beef cattle. how many cattle do you have. so it. 'd has its ups and so forth it is it at least most of the bacillus it's going to have calves to. their female both bred from high yielding cattle if all goes well he says they'll be producing 10000 liters of milk a year. because in this could be a theater for a come to your because we film cattle on transport to spain that was last december 5 forgotten and what did you get for those animals who does it you couldn't because washboard us on the told to force the other that actually if you feel in the boat is in the water in this if you feel it what will this wonderful sequoia with this in just a few. shots. say oh yes but i don't know what the price what their place is coming off would be fair to say that the ball calves as males or a waste product of this breed. is

a need near. the most as even if it's a choice as a 5 will be because we don't want what's a mr obvious from but he's here come a saga 'd it's a cell phone but he said come us are going to say no i don't. this is the outside with the farmer shows us his cow shit he has a mixed herd but they're largely high yielding cattle the only key to the dairy cattle so he has no use for male offspring. as an addition there's little demand in germany for a deal these days. the follows this. is that most of the good business. for dame gatos. this county. was miles i'm never going to the animals we're going us

buying at least you must have time to get what did you think. that you or you selling to the elf. gets a nice. house with it always was not on. the farm or ended up being taken to spain but what happened to them after that. we had to cut a loan yet to find out it's the center of spain's cattle fattening trade and here we discover one farm after another. in a spanish bet go with us to take a look. there are hundreds of calves here we can see that comes from all over the european union. this is the spanish style of industrial catherine me. on closer inspection of some of the farms we see that some of the animals came from the u.k. . to any. other place. there also

cabs from france and slovakia. we're not far from the sea port town are going up and find that's where most of the cats are exported from. on the way to the port we see animal transporters on the return journey. the transports unload on the pier. electric prods are used to drive the young bulls onto the ship. this load is mostly made up of animals from france or destined for lebanon. one man stands out among the workers at the port you want to start off an animal export or out of here is from morocco. as we establish later he's bought the animals for an arab company. but he's prepared to talk to

us so we arranged to meet with him a few days later. steve what's your job. most contiguous and exporter i work as an export eartha companies here in spain and organize transport to arab countries. i drive around and pick out the animals. i make a selection by them try to negotiate the best price to export them to arab countries they always end up at an avatar. which countries do the transports go to. most. they clearly will look more i work a lot with lebanon but i also export to jordan. saudi saudi arabia libya. morocco tunisia. almost all of the

arab countries to be on a computer design the more many animals how many cows in their low draw from germany. with. us thousands of them. i don't keep a precise count. for the statistics live cattle from germany are shipped abroad for slaughter too many arab countries have insufficient cooling conditions for frozen meat. we need your husband back to terra going to port where she wants to show us a ship. docked the previous there and tomorrow it's due to load up on animal transport. it's the crema law. should offer to seize. the car in marlow was built in 1965 originally as a car ferry it's 55 years old at some point it was repurposed to carry livestock

transports unfortunately not very well and 2016 we got onto the ship it shouldn't be allowed to carry animals so that's what it's full of things that animals can injure themselves on the ramps are still not for animals when they run out of the ship they have to make a 90 degree bend and go straight down steep perhaps then they're hit with electric process that they want to try out i think this is happening. there's one deck on the ship that's only one meter 60 high not even a person can stand on it but can also regularly know 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 because the 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. the 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 animal start. the cows lying that's their own excrement. investigations by the european commission confirmed these abysmal conditions several inquiries last year found serious shortcomings on this and other vessels. i found that the watering system was broken the food trucks were empty the cattle were weak and underweight the cattle were soiled with urine to the seeds the inhalation system in certain areas did not work as a true at. home and all of the thing we asked the ns buthe

a professor of criminal law university for a legal standpoint on all this. he's an expert on animal protection laws this could be fitted have caught the european how much risk what regulations have extra rules for the transport of animals by sea when venda vessels don't conform to them and. in this ship is not legally permitted to transport animals. if there are sharp edges and corners that can injure the host. that's also a violation of the rules require their animals are transported in a way that they are not home and. ok with us i stood on the roof 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 county my lot being documented time and time again and the carcass of a dead cattle are simply dumped at sea just as possible. all this week with back to

eunice out of the animal exporter we interviewed in tehran on a. normal p.c. they're thrown in the water. into the sea portal. oh isn't that simple i. suppose it is that possible because. it's the law of nature. it's also illegal given the mediterraneans natural preservation status. as a result it's not uncommon for beach goers in israel to find carcasses washed up on the sand. and the animals are shipped across the mediterranean to the middle east mostly to the ports of beirut haifa and gaza. german cattle and usually end up in arab countries and what happens then.

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 was. 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 were kicked slapped pushed over. the i was. close.

and then brutally winched on to a truck there's no respect no sympathy for the maltreated that i. had to subjected to pure violence. a much more workers stand in a pool of blood while they slashed the cow's throats. for neither stun nor anesthetized before him. i. receive pictures from gaza beirut and the west bank. if you could we meet the filmmakers who took this but it's clear dividing power from animals international what's their main take away from what they've seen. often to miss often the knife silent shop or long enough that we've seen them

stopping 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 and the by and then. we went 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 anywhere in these destination neutering nordoff nor even near east or in the middle east anything that would be illegal in european union the reason this is happening is that there are no laws in those countries to protect d.n.a. markers and the animals are being seen as objects and not as a living beings it's 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 was a single reason why no matter how many anymore i was dying off as they all died this is still a good business it simply because of the price in the destination contrie is sometimes even then bottoms 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 authorities after all they're aware the animals are being transported destined for the middle east. if the that an area knows the transport will very probably result in the conditions we've just described he should issue a transport permit. it's his responsibility to stop it in accordance with the animal protection regulations if you lost interest want to go ahead then he is going to this and the eventual slaughter and the us himself has acted and the

better cruelty so does that apply to slaughter that doesn't happen for another 9 months but 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 to 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 a little song 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 via 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 were skeptical and want to find out whether german animals are really being brought here to build up morocco's beef cattle industry. see. you. in december 21000 we fly to casa blanca to find out more. 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 by little. over the next few days will be looking at cattle markets east of casa blanca. is

our starting point. ali has already laid the groundwork we want to see for ourselves whether german animals and up in such cattle markets. so that 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. and every monday everywhere yet in this area that there is such a nice market and it's the most important goals are. by 6 o'clock the next morning the market is already buzzing to life. that traders arrive and being set up. the animals that are brought here are often

slaughtered right away. this trader tells us that he has a catheter in belgium which is. also good from another comes from luxembourg we hear. her increasing signs that the animals being sold here originate me you. know most of the trade is in young calves and sheep. on the next day we travel to a place near america. 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.

then we discover european cows. 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 opposite. animals that a change hands are brought here for slaughter. we're filming with concealed camera . the florist covered with blood hanging from the ceiling one slaughtered carcass after the next. nearby more animals are being slaughtered while they're still fully conscious it's an open area anyone can come in. a short while later we make a discovery the 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 friesian. it's just been sold so we hang around a bit to watch what happens. look. 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. we asked the driver whether we can follow. that. 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 in. 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. earth. the traders are getting annoying. the truck driver is more open the ring taken away for slaughter he tells us. it's water 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 the knife in. it's a horrific procedure. your tag informs us that the dairy cow was sent for export to morocco by a company called mustard and. 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 an arab states. we raised our concerns with must a hint 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 forbid. of course we are aware that breeding cattle are expected to live forever by 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 and these regions. but is it true the morocco is really building up a domestic beef cattle population and the aim is breeding.

we visit michaud model heads on the t.v. a german veterinarian association that actively advises and helps to promote animal welfare. has looked in detail at the breeding programs and cattle importing countries such as morocco in the. desert in morocco the average sizes for animals at the moment so i support that means that production is relatively low intensity it building up the herd basically means we're breeding. to fill these are breeding cattle so. but simply milking them after carving isn't great. is connoted so. that means these animals are actually for slaughter them although they've been brought there as breeding animals. to this instruct your animals for slaughter that would otherwise principally be used for milk production but since there's no breeding then soldiered is in the slot is that legal declaring them as breeding animals is false. the longest and most exhausting animal transport

currently starts from germany going through poland belarus and russia all the way to central asia. in february 2900 a team of animals angels activists followed one of their transports. the group filmed both trucks from their 1st supply stop a small that's. the journey takes place in driving snow and icy temperatures. and that despite it being illegal to transport animals below 5 degrees celsius. just ends or you can i see the cyclops on the truck for open field engineer the animals are covered in snow when the outside temperature is below minus 7 so you have the added problem the water systems for using and the transport by the transport. 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 at supply stations in russia. the trucks are on the. rode 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 near western germany to meet an expert on the matter. the hester state animal welfare commissioner modeling martin unhappy with account

she heard she and 3 other veterinarians traveled to russia last year. we haven't thought we did actually find to supply stations with a russian permit in the small lands grey gen. con 'd 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. there and on inside until there was in fear put the big star on the is a the 2nd part of the trip went towards a spake a stone dogs does this along this route there was not a single supply station with a russian permit hope the horses it's all. and all that means it's impossible to win low the 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. on. it was clear and weighed 21000 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 kazakstan but also in respect us there we go with what. we have to drive 1000 kilometers until we reach the route used by the animal transports to enter the

country. want to run 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 reply station it was listed in permit papers. at 1st glance it looks like a truckers cafe. if you know it looks like a motel and a gas station what's that meant to be. infamous for one doesn't our information says there should be a supply station. in here 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 the veterinarian authorities get information on what i meant to the supply station it's 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 little bits of data if you're not on the ground there's no way of checking chemicals but. 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 so 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. and things. like. the animal welfare activists managed to get some footage from inside it's a storage hole for machinery there's no evidence of animals having ever been on noted here the walls of the cold through in winter this hole 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. 2 weeks later the animals angel's team has spotted 2 transports they're carrying pregnant cows from germany bringing cattle. each truck has just one driver when they stop for a break the animal stay inside the trucks. 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 lengthy 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 up here 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 ecker of influence and system can cause a truck should take a 24 hour break there on the animal should be unloaded so they can recover at one of these resting stables and gotten them if it is that we found that the animals weren't on loaded the trucks start 15 hours with the animals packed inside they were fed and given water but it wasn't lisette uteri 24 hour break so basically it's proof that as soon as these transports have passed the a used exterior borders they can no longer be subjected to checks. and i think. the official declaration on this transport said nothing about a journey without proper brakes 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 ban on animal transports to central asia. but does that mean that the practice has been stopped completely. a vet from the eastern state applied in pork tells us that cattle are now being transported via other you countries to that destination. it's known the transports lead from poland slovakia hungary and italy and they are known to avoid austria. so who is responsible now.

if you think that of a neighborhood in the truest the very authorities are the smallest card in the will . and i don't see the european commission as necessarily responsible based on 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. don i often get the impression that economic interests mean that there's no inclination to change the laws. so the transports continue. for the ball caps that are export of your understanding german states and 3rd countries transported for fattening up before being packed on the boats and shipped off to the middle east.

and the breeding cattle many of which end up in arabia where fully conscious will have their throats cut under inhumane conditions. these kind of animal transports must stop. here to come startling. news stations and health clinics. to has often been in short supply. how it is flowing from top. scientists so let's. go to africa. minutes on d w. the

fix an on going quest horrific pictures. look i think arab spring began in 2 thirds of the good. people stood up against corrupt travelers and dictatorship . all these moments. have left deep box in my memory. the thing. because i have a critical feeling to be put in the work on the plea to. play. they had hoped for more security more freedom more dignity. of their hopes for little. 10 years after the arab spring. rebellion starts june 7th on g.w.

. the big . this is d w news live from berlin israel masses troops along the border with gaza the army calls up thousands of for service thriving for a possible ground invasion israel says its target is the underground network being used to fight a mosque militants to launch rocket attacks on israeli cities. also coming up a nother tense night as jews and arabs put in israel time.