A small protest is underway near the Port of Waterford this afternoon to highlight the live export of animals.
Ethical Farming Ireland says that the livestock vessel Atlantic M is docked at Belview to collect around three thousand young bulls for Libya.
The demonstration got underway at Slieverue Roundabout from 2:00 pm.
Caroline Rowley is Director of the organisation.
"The length of the sea journey causes illness and injury to these animals, it takes nine days to get to Libya."
She says the seas can be very rough and choppy and that very quickly the pens get full of waste from the animals adding that "there are high levels of humidity and ammonia that cause respiratory illness and that's the biggest cause of death during these journeys".
"Also, the pens become very slippery so the animals slip, they break limbs and they have to be euthanised.
Caroline Rowley says the destination is also a concern.
"These long journeys in themselves cause great suffering to the animals and then they're going to Libya which is a war-torn country, there's very little in the way of animal welfare legislation, there's not an effective government in place to enforce anything anyway."
"What makes it worse is that there is no need for this.
We can export beef, we do export beef to Libya so why are we exporting live animals, it makes no sense, it's unacceptable and it's absurd."
