Port facing
animal rights blockade
October 4, 2004
By Rebecca Sheppard
ANIMAL rights campaigners have pledged to bring widespread disruption to
Ipswich and its port if a company refuses to stop live animal exports.
They pledged to carry out the protest action if Ferryway
did not release a statement today saying it would not transport live animals
for slaughter.
The move came after the company indicated last week it had suspended shipments
and halted the transportation of 500 sheep from
However, protesters demonstrated outside the port in the early hours of
Saturday after they received a tip-off that the company was going to ferry a
shipment of live sheep to the continent.
Kent Action Against Live Animal Exports (KALE) claimed
four lorries and trailers carrying sheep had been shipped out of
Angie Petro, spokeswoman for KALE, said campaigners
had warned Ferryway that if it did not issue a
statement today that it was ending the shipments, it
would have "hell to pay".
She added the disruption caused would be more "in your face" than the
animal rights protests in Brightlingsea, which saw 10
months of campaigning against live animal exports in 1995.
"If they do not release a statement saying they will stop, the animal
rights campaigners from around the country are on standby," warned Mrs Petro.
"Things will be set in motion as from Monday. We have already set up a
group in
"We will target legitimate customers of Ferryway
too and will ask them whether it is worth the money they earn from that one
shipment to lose their regular customers. I know it is a legitimate trade, but
it is immoral."
Mrs Petro said campaigners
had already started to block Ferryway's phone lines
by calling it constantly so customers could not get through.
She warned it would not take long for a campaign in
"It snowballs. They will have the wrath of animal right protesters against
them and the normal public who find it abhorrent," added Mrs Petro. "Does
Following campaigns by the organisation last year,
the port of Berwick-upon-Tweed refused to allow live animals pass through its
docks, while Kent-based company Dartline
also turned its back on the trade after two weeks of protests.
A spokeswoman from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said: "Live exports are legal, but the
Government has stated its strong preference to see meat exported rather than
live animals.
"Because it is legal, it cannot be unilaterally banned in the
She added: "Banning export for slaughter is more difficult as we are
allowing export for other reasons than slaughter.
"The key issue is welfare. The port will inspect to check that exports are
meeting Defra's standards and, if not, they can
report it.
"If there are any suspicions about animal welfare, it will be
investigated. The port authority will have examined these consignments and
taken a view on it."
Mike Percival, operations manager for Ferryway, said:
"The managing director is issuing a statement on Monday morning regarding
the company's policy. I do not want to say anything more about it at this
stage."
The East Anglian Daily Times contacted