Slaughterhouse In Lebanon.

For those of you who are not aware- Australia is the largest exporter of live animals destined for slaughter in the world. Australia has the awful reputation of sending millions of live sheep, cattle and goats to overseas countries where they are slaughtered, in most circumstances, by shocking and totally inhumane methods. Australia would never condone the way the animals are transported, handled and slaughtered if this same treatment were to happen here. There is by and large no welfare legislation to protect animals in the Middle East or in Asia. But, regardless Australia happily sends our animals knowing full well they will inevitably suffer in the hands of someone in a far away country.

During 2005, Animals’ Angels visited the Karantina slaughterhouse in Beirut. There we filmed the handling and slaughter of German and Brazilian cattle. Outside the slaughterhouse were Australian sheep waiting their turn.

Often times the farmers who send animals to these countries for slaughter do not realize just what conditions are like in these countries and so we decided to send a letter to a farmer in Australia so that he would know.





        We are there with the animals      


Head Office - Rehlingstr. 16 A 79100 Freiburg  Germany.         
http://www.animals-angels.de   

Australia Office;
P O Box 55;
Armadale.
WA 6112   
Mobile: 04242 88771       
email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it


20 June 2007

HARTVILLE DOWNS GRAZING COMPANY
RMB 261
CRANBROOK WA 6321
P O Box 206
KOJONUP 6395


Dear Sir, Madam

Please allow us to introduce ourselves. My name is Dawn Lowe and I am employed by Animals’ Angels as an Animal Welfare assessor. Animals’ Angels is an organisation specialising in animal transportation, auditing market or saleyard conditions and slaughterhouses throughout Europe, the USA, Canada, the Middle East and Australia.

Our work is acknowledged world wide and we are considered experts in our field due to our accumulation of experience, knowledge and skills during the 12 years in auditing transportation, saleyards and slaughterhouses. Our reporting to various governments and competent authorities has resulted in many changes for animals.

On one of our many inspection visits to Lebanon during the later part of 2005, the Animals’ Angels team observed a number of animals, including Australian sheep, awaiting their fate outside the Karantina slaughterhouse in Beirut.  

We observed both sheep and young cattle dying or dead in pens outside the slaughterhouse facility. Neither veterinary care nor emergency euthanasia or slaughter to reduce suffering was provided. The animals remained where they collapsed. This treatment would not be condoned in Australia and we are sure that producers such as yourself would also be abhorred by the total disregard of basic, humane animal welfare practices.

In one of the pens was a sheep with a red ear tag attached with Hartville 1476 printed on one side. In the event of this sheep being one of your animals, we would like to view the enclosed photographs. We take no pleasure or malice in forwarding these images. Our only motive is to ensure that you are aware of the circumstances and conditions which awaited (your) sheep.

Older calf collapsed and dying from illness.



This sheep remains where he died.


Animals’ Angels were able to enter the slaughter area and film the handling and killing of animals. The following is a description of the scene we observed.

“Upon entering the large slaughter hall, the cattle have their hind legs lassoed and are then hoisted up. Their head and shoulders remain touching the floor. The bull can remain suspended in this position for up to 10 minutes. Finally we see two men approach the tied up bull. One of the men starts sharpening a knife while the other sticks his thumb all the way into the eyeball of the bull.

The Brazilian bulls are treated a little differently. They also have their hind legs tied up and hoisted, but additionally their head is tied to a post. They try to immobilize the Brazilian animals more so than the Europeans because the Brazilian cattle are more flighty and jump round in panic.

We watched as one German bull was hoisted near a big blood pit. Once his neck was cut he thrashed his head around in desperation. Because he was tied up and losing blood he could no longer control the movement of his head and ended up with his head in the blood pit. He was desperately trying to lift his head out of the blood pit and was gasping for air. His whole head was covered in the blood of other animals. It was a horrific scene of an absolutely painful and scary death. “

“The sheep are also slaughtered in this large, brightly lit hall. They are brought in through the same door as the cattle. One man grabs the front leg of the first sheep and drags him or her towards the back of the hall. The other sheep follow. We watched as a weak sheep with an injured front leg was moving very slowly in the group. She appeared to be in a lot of pain as she did not put much weight on this leg and hobbled into the stall. One of the men in the slaughterhouse ignored her injured leg and grabbed her by it and began to drag her into the hall. She collapsed and did not even try to get back upright but let herself simply be dragged.”

“There were approximately 40 men working in this slaughterhouse, where 3 cattle are slaughtered at a time.

The slaughtering of the cattle which are hoisted in a row took place in the front left section of the hall. In another section men can be seen cutting-up of corpses and skinning the hides. In the back left corner of the hall was the sheep slaughter area, and to the right of this was the cutting and skinning of the sheep corpses. The entire floor was covered in blood, bits of organs, intestines, wool and cattle hides, live animals and men.”

Lastly, there were several plastic rods lying on the floor of the slaughterhouse. One man picked it off the floor and used it to hit the back of a bull. Inside the plastic was a steel rod.  These rods were used particularly on the Brazilian cattle because, as one of the slaughter men said “the Brazilian cattle are extremely dangerous”.

This slaughterhouse is the largest one in Lebanon.

We have spent countless hours in slaughterhouses around the world, and in our opinion, Karantina slaughterhouse; Beirut, Lebanon is one of the worst we have ever inspected.


Whilst we appreciate the fact that the farming community is under extreme pressure due to any number of circumstances at present, we are convinced that if producers knew of the extreme cruelty which is inflicted on their animals in these countries, they may duly consider selling animals for slaughter in Australia and the money which the Government is using to apparently improve animal standards in these importing countries could be used to subsidise farmers who prefer not to send their animals live.


Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.

Animals’ Angels
Australia