Joshua Parfitt
A BRITISH-RUN animal shelter has started a petition to save 3,800 young cows on a livestock carrier denied permission to dock in Cartagena and collect life-saving food supplies.
Susan Weeding, co-owner of the Easy Care Horse Rescue Centre near Torrevieja, said the cows will ‘starve’ tomorrow if the ship is not allowed to dock.
The Julia MK boat was due to dock on Monday at 8pm, but a legal dispute between the shipping company and a fuel company has seen the boat left helpless in the Atlantic.
In letters shown to the Olive Press, an official for Spain’s Ship Agency Department said the Julia AK livestock carrier has been ‘denied authorisation’ to dock in Spanish territorial waters.
The letter continues a ‘court order’ has blocked the ship, which is travelling from Rio Grande in Brazil to Derince Koceali in Turkey.
A spokesperson for the Lebanese company who own the ship explained: “The vessel of 3,800 cows is supposed to reach Cartagena by Monday 8pm.
“The cow food on the vessel will be finished by then.
“The composition of fodder that can be fed to the type of cows on the vessel cannot be found everywhere. We already managed to make sure they are ready when they arrive to Spain.
“The court issue is going to be solved, but may take a few days to be done.
“But the problem is the cows cannot wait that long to eat and they risk dying from starvation.”
The technicalities of the dispute are not being divulged as the legalities become clear.
Susan Weeding added: “This story is bigger than Cartagena.
“The tropical rainforest is being burnt down in Brazil to make room for more cattle and to feed them.
“Then they stick them on boats to send as far as Turkey, but in the mean time fuel companies are battling with shipping companies over money.
“Everybody’s quite prepared to let these animals starve to death on the sea, meanwhile tropical rainforests continuing to burn.
“Who knew this is what is happening to our world?”
More to follow as details become clear…
