Nearly 3,000 Uruguayan cattle, stranded for a month on a ship off the coast of Turkey, have landed in Libya in good health, the Uruguayan government announced on Tuesday, November 25. Turkish authorities have blocked the landing, citing inconsistencies in the health certificates required for the entry of livestock into their territory.
Uruguay cited disputes between exporters and importers, and announced the week of November 17-23 that the ship had begun its return journey, while mentioning that it would try to reroute the livestock to another destination.
With the removal of 2,901 animals, the situation being monitored by health authorities, international organizations and the public, “it will definitely be resolved”underlined the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries of Uruguay.
The Ministry stated that “the animals landed in good health”. The Animal Welfare Foundation has warned of health risks if livestock are stranded at sea.
Disputes between private parties
The cargo ship carrying the animals has been docked at the port of Bandirma, in western Türkiye, since October 21. On that date, “examinations revealed that some of the animals were not equipped with ear tags or electronic identification chips, and 469 of them did not match the list provided”which led to a ban on the entry of livestock, the Turkish government said.
On Monday, Montevideo reiterated that point “This problem does not cause health problems related to exported livestock” and it is a dispute between private parties.
To date, Uruguay has exported more than 269,000 head of cattle to Türkiye by 2025, according to official data. This country, which has a population of 3.5 million people and around 12 million livestock, is a major exporter of agricultural products.
