Thousands of cows left suffering on Spiridon II as live export failures deepen

The ship left Uruguay carrying 2,900 cows bound for Türkiye. When authorities refused permission to unload due to administrative problems, the vessel was forced to leave port. This decision has prolonged the already severe suffering of the animals on board.

Although the situation remains difficult to fully verify, reports indicate:

• at least 58 cows have died

• around 140 pregnant cows have given birth or miscarried

• roughly 50 calves are currently on the ship, with the fate of the other 90 newborns unknown

• decomposing bodies are still believed to be on board, creating dangerous health and hygiene risks

This crisis sits alongside other well-known live export failures, including the MV Bahijah in 2024 and the MV Gulf Livestock 1 in 2020. Each shows how unsafe and unbelievably cruel long-distance live transport is for animals and why the system continues to fail them.

Long journeys like this routinely expose animals to conditions that cannot meet their most basic needs.This includes exhaustion, heat-stress and malnourishment, with limited access to proper care, ventilation or space.

The tragedy aboard the Spiridon II is another example of how deeply flawed the live export trade is and how urgently it needs to end.

A trade that cannot be made humane

Scientific evidence makes clear that animals are sentient beings who feel fear, stress, pain and discomfort. On ships not designed with their welfare in mind, they cannot move freely, rest comfortably or express normal behaviours.

Live export subjects animals to:

• prolonged suffering and overcrowding

• extreme heat and poor ventilation

• illness, injury and death

• inconsistent access to food and water

Livestock vessels are also known to be more vulnerable to maritime incidents than standard cargo ships. The risks are well-documented and they fall squarely on the animals trapped on board.

The crisis on the Spiridon II is not an exception. It is the product of a system that treats living beings as units of trade rather than individuals who can feel and suffer.

A wider system in need of change

Live export is closely tied to factory farming systems that prioritise volume over welfare. Animals are bred in high numbers, kept in crowded conditions and then transported vast distances to markets, slaughterhouses or fattening operations with weaker welfare protections.

This trade also increases the risk of spreading zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance endangering animals, workers and communities.

We need a global transition towards more humane and sustainable alternatives, including:

• growing demand for plant-based proteins

• replacing live export with trade in meat and carcasses

• transporting semen or embryos instead of live breeding animals

These solutions are already viable. What is needed now is the political will to deliver them.

Governments can choose a better path

Several countries have already recognised that this trade cannot continue.

Australia has legislated to end live sheep exports by sea, acknowledging the extreme suffering animals endure.

The United Kingdom is the first European country that took an important step in 2024 by banning all live exports for slaughter and fattening.

These examples show that meaningful change is possible, and they set a standard that other governments must urgently follow.