Dear Sir/Madam, You may be unaware that  animals exported form Ireland can suffer horrendous cruelty once they pass from the Irish legal jurisdiction. It is possible that Irish farmers would not allow this should this become known. Ireland can lead the world in its treatment of animals by making such barbarity illegal.  Please act now to put an end to this. The content of our petition is as follows. IRELAND - STOP THE DEATH SHIPS Ban the export of live cattle by whatever means to all and every country worldwide. Animal export is against the guidelines of the World Animal Health Organisation (OEI). Year by year hundreds of thousands of live cattle are exported from Ireland. They face gruelling journeys, sometimes taking several days, even weeks in often overcrowded conditions. They feel dread, fear, pain and terror on the journey. On arrival they are slaughtered. After arrival in the EU, Cattle can again be sent on for slaughter outside the EU. On foreign soil as part of their onward journey, no longer under the jurisdiction of the DAFM, Irish animals have been recorded by journalists as often without food and water, many dying on the onward journey and arriving at their destination injured or standing on the carcasses of animals that have died.  Their treatment from export staff, sometimes in self defence, can include: Beatings Tendons slashed to stop kicking Blinding Legs tied and the animal hoisted to travel suspended   Facilities for humane slaughter do not always exist in the country of slaughter and where they do exist have not always been adhered to. This has resulted in Animals hoisted to the ceiling by one rear leg when fully conscious and slaughtered, Deliberately injured, tendons cut to restrict movement when handling, Restrained fully conscious bulls hacked to slit their throats. Restrained and hit with a sledgehammer. Please watch the videos of treatment outside the EU here…. https://www.animalsinternational.org/take_action/live-export-global/?ua_s=AI.org http://www.animalsaustralia.org/take_action/petitions/ban-live-export/   Laws in Ireland and the EU have no jurisdiction over anything that happens once animals disembark in non EU countries.  As the Transport, handling and slaughter conditions and standards of welfare cannot be guaranteed it is crucial Ireland as a member of the EU does not condone this total lack of standards for it's livestock by sending them to such countries on the hoof. Ireland boasts of it's high standards of Welfare and it is possible that Irish farmers are unaware that the cattle they have cared for can be treated in this way. And if they did know, would be unwilling to  allow the stock they have fed and cared for since birth  to end their lives in such dreadful conditions.   The only way to truly prevent this is to Ban the live export of cattle  by whatever means to all and every  country worldwide. Please watch the videos here https://www.animalsinternational.org/take_action/live-export-global/?ua_s=AI.org http://www.animalsaustralia.org/take_action/petitions/ban-live-export/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmF2zBUOcc8   Please read the newspaper reports here… Newspapers have repeatedly reported the problem here are some extracts The Irish Times. http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/investigation-alleges-abuse-of-animals-exported-from-ireland-1.2996480 The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/01/revealed-exported-eu-animals-subject-to-abuse-illegal-conditions   The Irish Independent http://www.independent.ie/business/farming/beef/live-export-shipments-to-come-under-greater-animal-welfare-scrutiny-35315311.html