This is a letter to you explaining exactly what goes on and how they get away with it.

Please take the time to read it right through.

Dear Friend.

In Lithuania, after 20 years of loyal and hard service, it is time to say goodbye to the family horse.

Many families still live off the land. They have a few acres with one or two milking cows and a horse.

They have a saying "When the horse suffers the whole family suffers."

It is a sad day when the family know that the old horse, who has worked so hard throughout his life,  can no longer manage the daily toil in the fields and a younger replacement is needed.

What they do not know is that foreigners are now buying up their old horses. Neither do they know the suffering that their family horse will have to endure during its final four days of life.

Italian dealers have created a horrific trade in horses involving these most terrible long distance transport conditions.

The dealers ignore all animal welfare transport laws and, deplorably the Italian authorities do nothing to stop them. Torturous journey times of nearly 100 hours are endured by the animals before they reach  their final destination. The Italians show no regard for the European law that requires a maximum of 26 hours journey time (with a mandatory break every eight hours).

At the end of twenty years service to man, the cruelty inflicted during the final few days of the horses' lives in unbearable.

It is no wonder that the reports of investigators are littered with instances with them breaking down and crying at the road side.

The despair of it all is just too overwhelming.

The dealers buy cheap horses in Lithuania and employ Polish drivers to transport the animals to Sardinia. The nightmare journey will take 4 days and cover 1500 miles, old converted cattle trucks are crammed with 20 horses to begin their grueling nightmare journey through Europe. They will be unloaded once for a short two-hour break  during the first 46 hours of the journey. In the oppressive confinement of the lorry the horses are virtually unable to move, their nervousness and absolute exhaustion leads to injuries, biting occurs and frightened horses attempt to move away - they cannot and inflict more injuries in the attempt. It is only a matter of time before some are unable to survive any longer and expire.

It does not take long before the driver will be resorting  not just to his stick but will have to use electric prods to load the animals after their short break. The workers  at the Italian border resting post prefer pitching forks. One worker was seen hitting a horse repeatedly on the head with his upturned pitch fork, and so it goes on. There is an eight hour ferry journey still to come and there is a further five hours journey before they reach the slaughter house.

The horses have traveled for 95 hours and covered over 1500 miles. The dealer and transporters care only for the money they will make whilst the Italian authorities show contempt not only for the suffering of the horses but for the laws that were created to offer protection to animals during transportation.

The  dealers carefully choose the routes to avoid welfare checks. The most direct route would be through Austria but they know that the authorities there have strict laws on animal welfare that rigidly enforced. Therefore they avoid entering Austrian territory to cheat the horses from the laws intended to give them some protection.

After a lifetime of loyal service, to witness the brutality inflicted upon these intelligent and gentle animals is absolutely heart breaking.

This vile cruelty must be stopped. Italy is a member of the European Union and the Italian authorities must be persuaded to take firm and immediate action to comply with European Union Laws on the protection of horses for which, so far, they have shown a complete disregard.

We are now ready to launch a concentrated campaign involving the participation of important partners with whom we can fight effectively against the horse exporters and force those responsible in Italy to put an end to the barbaric transportation through Europe.

NATUREWATCH is working with Animals' Angels the leading undercover investigation team from Germany, the Lithuanian Society for the Protection of Animals and specialist equine experts from a number of countries. NATUREWATCH representative in Lithuania, Dr Ben Noreikis will be coordinating the campaign.

To tackle this terrible trade, we firstly want an immediate policing in Italy of the transporters to ensure full compliance with the EU law. This will at least ensure that the horses are transported in suitable vehicles, with fully trained drivers and that food, water and rest breaks are given every8 hours during a maximum journey time of 26 hours. A minimum 24 hour break must be given before commencing a further journey.

Secondly, we want the Lithuanian authorities to refuse export licenses for any horses that are ill or unfit to travel.

 Thirdly, We want to see an end to the live export of horses to be replaced with the export of meat.

I know that you will agree that this terrible cruelty to such wonderful animals is truly heartbreaking. I have seen how these horses have labored in the fields of Lithuania and, in  winter particularly, conditions harsh both for the people and the horses. But they were never subjected to cruelty - they were part of the family and they played their role admirably..

The very least they deserve at the end of their lives is to be treated humanely.

There are two very important ways that you can help, print out  the  Letter of plea to the Italian Ambassador and send it off (or email your details to [email protected] and I'll send it off for you). All you need is a second class stamp - Please do this today, it is very important that the ambassador is in no doubt that such cruelty and flouting of animal protection laws is totally unacceptable and immediate action must be taken.

If you would like copies of any of this information please feel free to print it out and give it to your friends or alternatively phone NATUREWATCH on 01242 252871.

Your gift to this appeal is desperately needed to help the horse . As you read this letter, another lorry crammed with horses in en route somewhere between Lithuania and Italy. They are relying on your kind support. Your gift is vital to help the campaign to stop these nightmare journeys forever.

Please be as generous as you can, together we can make a difference and help stop the cruelty inflicted on innocent horses.

Thank you on behalf of everyone working on this campaign in Europe but most importantly thank you on behalf of the horses in Lithuania.

Yours Sincerely

John Ruane

Campaign Director.

Pictures of suffering.    See for yourself the toll that it take on these innocent animals.

Video of suffering.    Unedited straight from the eye of the investigators.    

Letter of plea to the Italian Ambassador. - This is your chance to help now, no money necessary.

Email Me.   Send me your name and address and I will send a letter from you to the ambassador