Live Export protesters say some 260 calves being transported from Ramsgate to Spain, via Calais, have been travelling in excess of 14 hours non-stop due to problems with the vessel Joline.
The two to five week old calves have, in total, been in transit for more than 50 hours after the shipment left Scotland at 7am on Thursday and arrived at Ramsgate at 5.30pm.
Believed technical problems with the Joline meant the calves were taken to a local lairage facility and offloaded.
Last night (January 11) the calves were loaded onto the transporter again and to sail from Ramsgate port at 11pm.
A spokesman for Stop Live Exports From The Port of Ramsgate said: “The Joline left Ramsgate port for Calais yesterday at midnight, but they are yet to arrive. It appears as if the boat broke down. The 2-5 week old calves were stranded on board in this cold winter weather, without the correct methods to feed them as they are unweaned, and well over the legal time requirements that are a maximum of 9 hours travel.
“The vessel is heading into Calais now and is probably about an hour away from docking.”
Campaigners also say that they at least one calf on the transporter was unresponsive when it arrived in Ramsgate but no checks were carried out by authorities.
Emails have now been sent to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs demanding the calves are checked when they reach Calais dock. French authorities and the RSPCA have also been contacted.
The calves are destined for veal crates in Spain.
Thanet campaigner Julie Fuller said: “Live exports should be banned and this is just another example of how horrendous the journey is for these animals.”
The Stop Live Exports From The Port of Ramsgate group is urging people to contact Defra with their concerns.
