Not that one can ignore the suffering, but put that aside for a moment and ask where is the sense in this? The losses must cost money. Even with the appalling cramped conditions a lot more meat could be carried in the same space. The ships sound as if they should not be on the seas, what is their carbon footprint I wonder? All this and lots more.
This is not the only trade but look at the destination of much of it, and what happens when these poor creatures arrive in the middle east? We could stop this if we could find the courage, or is this something else we must regard as "inevitable" in order not to upset the sensitivities of a bunch of medieval perverts?

Consumers around the world need to wake up and take responsibility for their part played in the hideous animal cruelty that takes place in every aspect of industrialized animal production, transport and brutal slaughter. Greedy consumers and profit driven companies have betrayed the creatures of our world, as well as government who funds and supports this Legalized Animal Cruelty. What a shame and blight on human beings - Animals deserve to live a life free from terror, pain and exploitation at human hands. Thanks for bringing this article and its disturbing facts to the attention of the public.

I am utterly disgusted by the idea that we could treat animals this way especially when we are already sending them away to be slaughtered. At least have the decency and allow them the pleasure of living comfortably before being slaughtered.

As usual we will get the usual religious clap-trap for all this. Islam the religion of the Middle-Ages. They even kill their children and call it honour. You can never reason with a drunk or a moslem.

I have been aware of this state of affairs for quite some time, and have managed to do something about it without becoming vegetarian. (I live in France in the Grenoble area.) I buy all my meat on the local market from local producers who are operating their own cooperative slaughterhouse, the only one of its kind in France. The meat travels no more than 50kms to get to me, and the animals are killed in the area they were raised in, with minimum transport, if any.
The issue of hallal and kosher meat seems rather simple to me : find the way to inform the local populations that the meat they are being is not being slaughtered according to tradition. They will not buy it then, as they are devoted to their religious principles, unlike us, who only look at our coin purses, right ?

This is so very sad. And this is precisely why I became vegan 20 years ago, which is the best and most positive way to help these poor creatures, besides being extremely healthy. We need to wake up to what we are allowing to happen as a society to these poor innocent sentient beasts. They have feelings just like us. We must not allow this to happen and we must take personal responsiblity by altering our buying and eating habits.

Well done, The Independent, for highlighting a constant problem. But we still talk of the cruelty of slaughter methods, the savagery of international transport, without considering, it seems, whether the killing of animals is necessary to keep us alive. Even the RSPCA does not condemn slaughter for meat because they know they would be fighting a losing battle. Meat-eating is OK. Just make sure you don't get caught treating animals cruelly before giving them the coup de grâce, and all is acceptable. The fact that few of us would have the stomach to witness the cruelty, or worse still the slaughter, is incidental. But whenever we eat meat, we are all cruel, in a vicarious, cowardly way.

As human beings, with our considerable knowledge od nutrition, we should be above the brutal laws of necessity that govern the other animals. In practice, we are the cruellest of animals with our production-line killing methods. As Leonardo said (or something like it), 'one day, it will be as much a crime to kill another animal as it is to kill a human being.' And why not? What is the fundamental difference? We know we can survive without killing fellow creatures, even be healthier, so why do we do it? Isn't it inhumane, inexcusable, wicked?

Horrific trade. Bravo to the Independent for tackling this head on. There must be something effective we can all do, as there is enough public distate/horror/anger over this. Needs a Chicken Run approach i.e. a personality or two attached to the campaign by the organisations.

unbelievable,horrendous, unnecessary,horrific,sadistic,wicked,indifferent cruelty,STOP LIVE TRANSPORT OF ALL LIVING CREATURES NOW.DONT LET THIS CAMPAIGN FADE AWAY.

So these people are exploiting the trend for "locally produced" food. Perhaps travel journalists and restaurant critics should take it upon themselves to do some probing into what "local" means when it appears on a menu.

This awful trade is nothing new, but it's getting bigger. Thank you for giving this campaign such prominent coverage and keep it up.

Live exports is a business, apparently conducted like any other, organised to maximise profits. Nothing much is likely to change until we human animals start considering our fellow species as sensitive, sentient beings and not simply a commodity to buy and eat.

The whole thing is obscene. My thanks and those of all compassionate people to your paper for exposing a shameful trade. Let's hope that anyone in power in this world will take note and speak for those who cannot.

To export animals live to be killed in another country is absolutely despicable. I live in Australia and all of us who have fought against this trade for years are absolutely delighted that a coalition of WSPA, CIWF, RSPCA and Animals Australia, and others too I believe, will bring pressure to bear to stop this hideous treatment of the innocent and helpless.

Simply Despicable !!!
Thank you for bringing this unnesessary cruelty to the attention of the british public.
Its time to say
Enough is Enough !!
Please take the time to sign the petition at the following

http://www.handlewithcare.tv

The tragedy for the animals and the humans who farm them is undoubtedly clear and should be shocking. But surly this article could be more helpful by pointing out what could be done, at least giving a link to a petition to our government or the EU. It would also be good if they explained how the trade internationally is monitored and controlled. I have been left traumatised and feeling un-empowered to do any thing about it.

We still behave like caveman and cavewoman. Somehow we can't let go of this uncivilised behaviour. What should we do to change this? We dealing with a billion dollar busniss with very large marketing budgets to brainwash the people, who will payoff the politicians. We should start to introduce a counter weight against this. Why not put tax on advertising budgets and use this to inform people. Any other ideas?

This has been going on for such a long time, why has it only come to light, for some people now? Nevertheless, well done to the Independent for making a stand. Please, don't let it become yesterday's news, keep it in the public eye until something is done. Eating meat is bad for your health, bad for the animals and bad for the planet - the meat industry damages the environment more than all the transport in the world. Why do it???

We have been aware of these issues for some time, and are glad it is being highlighted at last.

For our own family, we don't eat meat anymore on weekdays - for both environment and animal welfare reasons. On weekends we do have some meat but have taken to buying only at:

http://www.balnafettach.com/index.html

It may look expensive at first glance, but we buy in bulk and freeze, don't eat a lot of meat, and bulk out what we do eat with pulses (better for us in any case).

You can see lots more info about the farm at:

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2007/10/happy_meat.html

This isn't a plug for a business we have anything at all to do with - except as customers. Just pointing out an alternative way of doing this.

The front cover of the Independant caught my eye this morning - I almost wish it hadn't. It's at times like this you feel so useless. You know it goes on and yet because it is so repulsive you'd rather not know. Thank you for making the transportation of live animals your front page coverage. It needs a newspaper like you to cover such an article. Will it make any difference? Maybe - it will certainly make a lot of people stop and think and I hope something can be done to stop this dreadful trade. I do not undertand why animals need to be transported ALIVE! Surely if so many die along the way, it just proves what a useless system this is.

People will continue to eat meat, but animals should only be killed in the country of production, preferably travel limited to 30 miles.
There is no will within the EU to police the transport of live animals, so severe restrictions are the only way to stop this dreadful trade. Why cannot we have the Health and Safety people off our backs & do something useful with this trade. They would be ideal as they take everything very seriously.
Why do we also have to pander to these medieval methods of slaughter too. Jewish & halal methods had a basis in reason before refrigeration, so that the carcass was fully bled out, & kept longer. This cruelty of cutting a fully conscious animals throat, to bleed it to death is an affront to civilized behaviour. We should not allow it in civilized countries, & not export our live animals to meet such a fate. They have been raised in good welfare conditions, & do not deserve to be deserted by us to face such a fate, either here or abroad in less civilized countries. Every animal deserves to be rendered unconscious before it is exsanguinated.

First and foremost, congratulations to The Independent for having the bravery to put this story on the front page and front page news this surely is! This world is supposed to be moving forward and yet animals are being treated worse now in most parts of the world than they have ever been before. Why? Because MONEY and not COMPASSION is everyone's god! It is time that the human species started asking themselves 'How did this come to be here'? Only then will they find they have gained what no money can every buy - and that is a CONSCIENCE.

Animal welfare demands that any animals destined for consumption should be slaughtered at source and exported/imported as meat. And any decent farmer or butcher will tell you that the shorter the animal's journey to slaughter, the better the meat.

Thank you so much for publishing this very important story. I live in Brazil and the destruction of forests for cattle breeding seems to be completely out of control here with the Government giving amnesty to these invaders who have no legal right to be on this land. To add insult to injury many of these huge gentle animals are shipped off abroad in the most despicable conditions. I am vegan but even if I was not I would not use any animal product from any kind of animal that has suffered terribly.

Thank you to the Independent for you brave and necessary front page. Time and time again people have tried to expose the widespread cruelty in the meat trade. The meat trade is not magnanimously producing food for those that need it out the goodness of its own heart, it is profit driven. Apart from the fact the meat is an unnecessary product anyway and we live longer for not consuming it, livestock animals eat more food that they could every produce, if you want to ensure global food and water shortages then keep eating meat and dairy! Anyone in the UK who has eaten meat abroad has contributed to this. I keep hearing time and time again that meat eaters care – yet less the 5% of all meat sold in the UK if free range so something is not adding up. Animals are individuals and value their own lives just as we do; therefore to kill them for such trivial reasons as a mere sandwich is morally wrong and smacks of human arrogance. Veganism is a direct boycott of this vile trade, I only wish I had gone vegan years earlier

This trade is immoral, unethical and uterly disgusting. I am so glad that such an important newspaper is taking this matter seriously. Pleople must know where their food comes from and how so they can decide whether it's ok to eat it.