HELLENIC REPUBLIC                                                           Xanthi  17/12/07

DISTRICT OF EAST MACEDONIA &.THRAKI

PREFECTURAL AUTHORITY OF                                      Ref.No. 71025/4232

DRAMA- KAVALA- XANTHI

PREFECTURE OF XANTHI

GENERAL DIRECTORATE OF PREFECTURAL OF XANTHI

DIRECTORATE OF VETERINARY

SECTION OF EXTENSION WORKS-PROTECTION AND

ANIMAL BREEDING

Mail Address: COMMAND POST                               TO: Ministry of Rural

Mail Code: 671 00                                                                   Development and Food

Information : Konstantinos Gazinos                                     Directorate of KAFE

Tel. : 2541072112, 78357                                                         Section A

FAX : 2541022552                                                                    2 Acharnon str.

e-mail : [email protected]                                                       10176  ATHENS

 

SUBJECT: « Transportation of heifers from Denmark to Greece Â»

 

    Following our telephone communication and according to the document of 16/8/07, File 2007-20-293-00796/BB of the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, our Service declares the following:

     1. The cattle breeder Mr. Ioannis Hondros, responsible for the undertaking of animal destination, declares that he was informed about the animals’ arrival at 1-1.30 a. m.  on  28-5-07, when the animals were already outside the town of Xanthi.

At the Polisito, in Xanthi, place  where his  undertaking is located, the animals arrived  at 7.30 in the morning and the official  veterinarian Mr Bairam Oglou Roustem has already notified to proceed for carrying out on the spot check.

Mr. Ioannis Hondros did not refuse the animal’s unloading, when they arrived at their destination place. It is furthermore known, that the drivers during the international transportations avoid the animal’s unloading before the sunrise, because the accessibility to the destination animal undertaking is not always possible for the heavy trucks (narrow streets, earthen roads, etc.) and therefore it is very dangerous.

This short delay could not cause any problem in the health of the transported animals, provided that the transportation had been carried out according to the proper manner.

   2. There is no indication that the dead animal has died due to the complications in giving birth. The veterinarian, who carried out the check during the animals’ arrival, has diagnosed a transportation disease. The animal died during the transportation (the death is estimated 15-20 hours before the unloading), presenting meteorism, mucus, nasal discharge. Also there was blood in the faeces and it had been trampled underfoot by the other animals. No finding (e.g. vulval discharge ) was found from the reproductive system.

Besides, a strong smell of ammonia, a non-sufficient air circulation inside the trucks and great amount of faeces and urine were ascertained. That is how justified the dyspnoea, the  salivation, and the weakness to remain standing up also observed in the other animals.

   3. We have not disputed that the animals’ transportation carried out with two tracks, neither we implied that an animal was transported while it had completed the 90% of its pregnancy.

   

 

 

 

 

 

       As far as the declaration of the Hungarian Veterinary Service on the animals’ unloading and resting is concerned, we couldn’t verify any opinion, because from the accompanied documents the itinerary draft was missing. This was forwarded to our Service later (after event), with signatures to the Section 3, which do not belong neither to the veterinarian officer, nor to the animal breeder Mr. Ioannis Hondros, as we had referred in our document with no. 41423/2181/23-07-2007. With the same document we had also send to you samples of signatures. The fact that there was not any itinerary draft in combination with the great amount of faeces and urine and the strong smell of ammonia, aroused indeed a suspicion that no animal unloading and resting took place.

 

 

                                                 The Head of the Directorate of the Veterinary

                                                                 Service in Xanthi

 

                                                                          M. Savas                                                                                                  

                                                                           (signed)