Coronavirus has moved everyone’s lives, transforming our daily lives and habits. The forced blockade stopped production in all sectors, putting companies in difficulty. The unsold products have piled up in the warehouses, however the objects do not suffer damage while waiting, while the food products, both vegetable and animal, deteriorate during storage.
However the animals cannot patiently stay at home waiting, they continue to graze and wander the fields. Similarly, the slaughtering and fattening sector continues to produce. In this regard, the European Commission in a report asked to rethink the system, arguing that these animals can suffer from thermal stress, poor planning and lack of information on the breeding system from the country of origin and destination.
The virus according to the latest studies should not infect animals (but nothing is certain yet in the fight against Covid-19), however forcing the animals on long and suffocating journeys and forcing them on farms with difficult conditions could significantly increase the probability that diseases will spread. Veterinarians and epidemiologists are trying to understand if this consumption can increase the risk of contagion, given that according to some studies, in general, 75% of emerging infectious diseases come from animals.
The transport of live animals could therefore lead to further serious new problems. First of all for those who travel with animals on trucks or ships, who are the first at risk, as well as the butchers themselves.
Two billion live animals are transported over long distances across the globe each year, and more than 350 million animals have been exported worldwide since 23 March. This is why new legislation is in place for the protection of animals by limiting or canceling the practice of transporting live animals for food purposes, both for our own good and for that of animals.