The calves were said to be kicked, punched and dragged around by their ears during the journey.
An investigation into the welfare of young Irish calves exported to EU countries has found that a number of cows were badly beaten throughout the journey.
Animal rights group Eyes On Animals have reported that the people transporting the cows were found to be kicking the calves, hitting the calves, dragging them by the ears and throwing them down onto the floor and jumping on them.
The investigation took place between 14-17 March of this year and involved trailing 23 Irish livestock trucks and inspecting the conditions the animals were exposed to.
It found that as well as the physical abuse, the drinking facilities onboard the Irish trucks were not working or inappropriate for the calves to use.
As a result, many calves were unable to drink water during the long journey, including the 18 hour sea journey on the ferry journey from Rosslare to Cherbourg.
They recorded that 2-4 week old calves, so young that they could barely walk, were among the victims of the physical abuse.
Eyes on Animals claim that the “abuse was so severe, calves were collapsing in pain, dragging their hind legs along the floor unable to get back up, whilst one employee threw a calf to the concrete floor and jumped on his fragile body with full force whilst the other employees watched.”
Lesley Moffat, director of Eyes on Animals spoke about the abuse, saying: “To put a final end to this vicious circle of the dairy industry producing so many calves that they do not want, we have to re-think the whole dairy industry.
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