With ref to the trailer in Brindisi,it may be possible that the trailer was equipped with a drinking system,where the animals push a ball bearing to release water,like they have at farms,the calves would have lived in the same conditions prior to a long haul trip,and accustomed to their enviroment,however,in the hot summer,they should have let out of the trailer,to get exercise.
toby1234abc:
With ref to the trailer in Brindisi,it may be possible that the trailer was equipped with a drinking system,where the animals push a ball bearing to release water,like they have at farms,the calves would have lived in the same conditions prior to a long haul trip,and accustomed to their enviroment,however,in the hot summer,they should have let out of the trailer,to get exercise.
It may have been possible, but we are talking around 1989 I reckon, being a country lad, you can sort of tell if they are in distress. why worry, they had been paid for and they would be slaughtered in Greece anyway for moussaka.
Veal is tasteless crap anyway, the lambs were happier gambolling in the fields!
It was Peter Gilder and sons from Bourton on the Water,that had their own ship from Shoreham,i was born on my Dads dairy farm,a new by pass put an end to that,with a compulsory purchase order,you cant stop those.
Have you forgotten the other one?? International traders ferry run by number of exporters,
Small red one called the Northern cruiser A great little boat fantastic crew,
Rvyper:
Hi Toby, whatever has happened to bring this back to the fore■■? I spent many happy years trucking around Europe with all sorts of livestock. Yes it’s a job that requires more skill than the average trunker, but I would go back to tomorrow given half a chance. The people involved were willing to help each other whatever happened, be it changing a wheel or feeding calves in the middle of the night. What the RSPCA does not tell you that most of the horror videos came from foreign countries that don’t have the standards of animal welfare we have here in the UK. I agree with Suedehead that most UK drivers were trained but it was also about the money. A Black /white calf has gone from minimum of £150 then to worthless now!
Just bear in mind that our vehicles were pressure washed after every load before return to the UK with genera freight.
The only protester I recall who lost their life was a woman in Coventry airport in 1995 who threw herself in front of the lorry and wrecked the driver’s life too!
That girl at Coventry was named Gill Phipps, I hope I got that right,
I remember the flowers and pictures on the chain link fence.
Its funny how I remember her name after all this time…no google involved.
Rent a mob thats all the protesters where .I was pulling timber out of Shoreham docks yet the thick leftwing one leged lesbos from hell still attact me verbaly .Should have called in a airstrike on them and done the world a favour .I LOVE THE SMELL OF NAPARM IN THE MORNING !
Bruno Maes truck in the picture is (by the look of if and I know he had cuppers yrs ago)pulling a Cuppers trailer built in holland it has in built water system carrying, if memory serves me right 1500 litres of water, behind some of the flaps are fans for "forced air " ventilation.
yes there were some rough outfits who didn`t feed or water animals, but the sensible ones did, as it was comman sense realy no one wanted there load of anything,calves,sheep,pigs,cattle, dry freight, or whatever you were delivering to arrive broken,damaged or dead in the case of animals.
We were probably submiited to more checks on borders by anyone else, paperwork,vets,
Wheelnut, you said veal tastes crap and the lambs were better off in the fields!, IIRC veal is from calves not lambs.
■■■■■■ me off, in the eighties, the livestock drivers were looked down upon by the oh so proper tautliner/fridge drivers doing spain and back oh so proper, and we were acussed of pinching backloads, it was so so funny coming up the Motorways of France or Spain or anywhere else,loaded with wine or anything else that physically fit in a livestock box and listening to the U.K truck drivers slagging off the Gilders (all 3 of them) Armstrongs, Ken Lanes,etc, because we were loading back.
Yes we worked bloody hard, yes we all had good kit, but yes we earnt good money too and had a good time doing it. and there were some good blokes doing it too.Maggot,Billy Whizz, Basher, Mick Cooke,Angus Mudworm,Rodders, Gary Barnes,Dave Allen etc etc etc.In those days alot of U.K drivers wouldn`t cross the road to p*** on us if we were on fire, nowadays its oh the good old days etc etc.But have to say, running with the Dutch and Irish was good, they were of the same idea as us, get there get them off and get back. 
oatcake1967:
Rvyper:
Hi Toby, whatever has happened to bring this back to the fore■■? I spent many happy years trucking around Europe with all sorts of livestock. Yes it’s a job that requires more skill than the average trunker, but I would go back to tomorrow given half a chance. The people involved were willing to help each other whatever happened, be it changing a wheel or feeding calves in the middle of the night. What the RSPCA does not tell you that most of the horror videos came from foreign countries that don’t have the standards of animal welfare we have here in the UK. I agree with Suedehead that most UK drivers were trained but it was also about the money. A Black /white calf has gone from minimum of £150 then to worthless now!
Just bear in mind that our vehicles were pressure washed after every load before return to the UK with genera freight.
The only protester I recall who lost their life was a woman in Coventry airport in 1995 who threw herself in front of the lorry and wrecked the driver’s life too!Jill Phipps that was her, 1st of Feb 1995 was the date, i used to get shouted at even though i was not involved in the export job. The same when i used to go past Gilders place on the Fosse, i used to ignore them because if you had a go they would only give the Gilders more stick. They hounded that family i really used to feel for them.
That girl at Coventry was named Gill Phipps, I hope I got that right,
I remember the flowers and pictures on the chain link fence.
Its funny how I remember her name after all this time…no google involved.
A very good post john. d.m . But that sounds like a roll call for GG.how about the rest of us 
been there, done that, got the t shirt.
been there, done that, got the t shirt.
john.d.m:
Bruno Maes truck in the picture is (by the look of if and I know he had cuppers yrs ago)pulling a Cuppers trailer built in holland it has in built water system carrying, if memory serves me right 1500 litres of water, behind some of the flaps are fans for "forced air " ventilation.Again I am talking MAES in 1988/9 when they were just beginning to buy Magnums
yes there were some rough outfits who didn`t feed or water animals, but the sensible ones did, as it was comman sense realy no one wanted there load of anything,calves,sheep,pigs,cattle, dry freight, or whatever you were delivering to arrive broken,damaged or dead in the case of animals.
We were probably submiited to more checks on borders by anyone else, paperwork,vets,Wheelnut, you said veal tastes crap and the lambs were better off in the fields!, IIRC veal is from calves not lambs.
Well done. It helps if a livestock driver knows the difference, read it again. Toby mentioned calves. I was talking about lambs and Moussaka
■■■■■■ me off, in the eighties, the livestock drivers were looked down upon by the oh so proper tautliner/fridge drivers doing spain and back oh so proper, and we were acussed of pinching backloads, it was so so funny coming up the Motorways of France or Spain or anywhere else,loaded with wine or anything else that physically fit in a livestock box and listening to the U.K truck drivers slagging off the Gilders (all 3 of them) Armstrongs, Ken Lanes,etc, because we were loading back.
Yes we worked bloody hard, yes we all had good kit, but yes we earnt good money too and had a good time doing it. and there were some good blokes doing it too.Maggot,Billy Whizz, Basher, Mick Cooke,Angus Mudworm,Rodders, Gary Barnes,Dave Allen etc etc etc.
In those days alot of U.K drivers wouldn`t cross the road to p*** on us if we were on fire, nowadays its oh the good old days etc etc.But have to say, running with the Dutch and Irish was good, they were of the same idea as us, get there get them off and get back.
No problem for me running with you, cows, pigs, wine or tiles
Sorry Wheelnut, perhaps I getting tobyitis 
One thing that did change the perspective of I the antis antics was when Stuart Judge had a TV (telly not a queer) cameraman in his truck when he was going for the boat with calves on, the cameraman was hiding in the bunk and was totally freaked out at the things that were being shouted and stuff being thrown at the truck.
I think one driver had someone open passenger door, and from what I gather the handbrake was on driver and intruder both exited passenger door at a great rate of knots and intruder must have banged his head on the road, and his jaw 3 or 4 times too If I heard rightly. And hes such a nice quiet,shy and retiring driver realy,perhaps you could elaborate A? :smiley: Another driver had someone climb up drivers door and must have knocked the drivers arm cos the driver spilt his cup of coffee out the drivers window,shame.. I dont think anyone was prosecuted for anything during those times, i.e damage to trucks or drivers or the actual livestock.
Wheel Nut:
Not jibes, but I imagine driving into Eastern Docks with livestock was worse than taking a lorry into Orgreave
Oh I dunno Malc, I’d rather take my chances against underfed posh young crusties and Home Counties housewives than Barnsley miners
Oh jj72 how little you know, It took tree days to get the first ferry from shoreham. broken windscreens,Protesters climbing all over the trailers trying to rip out air lines,the noise,stones flying.Iam sure some were on youtude you will find the video s. not to mention the petrol bombs that came latter.
Not had any experience of international livestock haulage, but I know plenty of people who haul or look after livestock and mostly they understand the wellfare of thier animals far better than than those who claim to protest on the animals behalf.
Of course there are some who don’t and they get the publicity and tar the whole industry with the same brush.
As a nation most of us never really come into contact with farming, so most are easily lead by campiagners with thier own agenda, which has very little to do with animal rights and more to do with controlling other people.
And they use opinion polls which say that the general public want higher animal wellfare standards, (makes sense) so British farmers have to introduce some measure which means the higher production costs than other parts of the World,
But when those who said they wanted higher wellfare standards go shopping they buy the cheaper meat farmed abroad and yet another British farm goes under and more animals are farmed abroad where standards can’t be checked. 
And as for the RSPCA I’ve seen them force somebody to put down a perfectly healthy if rather old horse,
Even though in the opinion of the Vet and another animal charity that specialised in looking after horses, it was healthy and not in pain, but just very old and very few of us will look too good when we get to an equivilant age.
But the advice from the other charity was it’s not worth going to court against the RSPCA as even if you win the case “mud will stick” and the RSPCA are unlikely to come out an say they were wrong.
Bloody terrorist action is no way to protest!
Must get on, have to get this lamb in the oven.
Where’s the terrorists Malc? That’s the Womens’ Institute! Scarier than many terrorists I grant you! They did good work there, the ordinary law abiding people of this country. A legal business no doubt but an immoral one in my eyes. There’s absolutely no need to transport livestock this way. They should be taken to the nearest abattoir for slaughter and not a mile further. All this movement of animals is just a bloody con perpetrated on the public in order to extract more cash from them under false pretences. I love my meat as much as anyone else but I do like to see the animals well looked after before I eat them!
my mate dave saw an irish registered lasagne transport lorry carrying sheet steel, on top of the steel were some pigs, then there was more steel, then some cows, then some more steel, then some chickens, above that was hanging lambs.
he asked the driver why the chickens were on the top layer. he was told that it would be top heavy if he did it any other way.
he also had a live shark in the passenger side.
44 Tonne Ton:
Where’s the terrorists Malc? That’s the Womens’ Institute! Scarier than many terrorists I grant you! They did good work there, the ordinary law abiding people of this country. A legal business no doubt but an immoral one in my eyes. There’s absolutely no need to transport livestock this way. They should be taken to the nearest abattoir for slaughter and not a mile further. All this movement of animals is just a bloody con perpetrated on the public in order to extract more cash from them under false pretences. I love my meat as much as anyone else but I do like to see the animals well looked after before I eat them!
The drivers were ordinary law abiding people too, you don’t think they just saw a field of sheep and decided to give them a holiday in Italy do you?
Every town had an abattoir at one time, but due to planning laws and new hygiene regulations, many of the British ones were substandard or unviable. The European Commision set the standards, we didn’t live up to them in many places.
I agree we should use the nearest abattoir, in fact I would go further than that. I would like to be able to feed a couple of pigs on my household waste, walk them up the street on a bit of band and bring them back in bits, butchered ready for the freezer or to hang in the coalhouse rubbed in salt. My bacon would be great because it wouldn’t be injected with brine to make it weigh heavier.
When I lived in Yorkshire we had five slaughter houses in and around the little town I lived, here in Melbourne there was also three although one is still operating about 7 miles away
The thing the activists should focus on is intense forced factory farming and supermarkets forcing the small farmer into the swill.
A lady near us keeps chickens, the freshest best eggs I have ever tasted, she is not allowed to sell them to the public though, and she cannot even sell the chickens when they stop laying.
Give me a cow and I shall show you a fresh pint of milk when you need it
oatcake1967:
That girl at Coventry was named Gill Phipps, I hope I got that right,
I remember the flowers and pictures on the chain link fence.
Its funny how I remember her name after all this time…no google involved.
Spotted L142 LDP in the first vid.
Reloading Naples after tipping on Sicily and no livestock in the tilt
