Today (28 September), Compassion in World Farming campaigners and supporters gathered at the port outside Brittany Ferries headquarters in Portsmouth, to call on the company to reverse its appalling decision made earlier this year to resume the inhumane live export of farmed animals from Ireland to France after a 30-year hiatus.

September marks six months of Brittany Ferries transporting vulnerable animals on 18-hour sea journeys, including unweaned calves that are just a few weeks old. This is in breach of EU regulation. [1]

Actress and animal welfare activist Miriam Margolyes, who supports the charity and is backing the action said:

Brittany Ferries’ decision to begin exporting animals once again this year – alongside Irish Ferries and Stena Line – undermines progress and flies in the face of public, scientific, and ethical opposition. I urge Brittany Ferries to reconsider this deeply troubling policy change.

In May 2024, live exports were finally banned from Great Britain, yet despite this, Brittany Ferries, which operates from British shores, has chosen to resume profiting from this unethical income stream.

Peaceful protesters gathered to raise awareness to Brittany Ferries’ passengers, staff and passers-by, that the company transports live animals for fattening and slaughter, not far from British shores. The rally coincided with a ferry crossing, enabling protesters to raise awareness to customers of the company’s involvement in this awful trade and urging them to avoid travelling with Brittany Ferries and all companies that profit from this cruelty in future.

A demonstration also took place yesterday (27 September) in Cork, Ireland where NGOs gathered at the port to speak up for the animals carried in lorries and ships as they depart for France. Compassion supporters will also gather at the Brittany Ferries Headquarters in Roscoff, France tomorrow (Monday 26 September) to condemn the company’s thoughtless policy reversal.

Over 200,000 have been sent by concerned citizens from across the UK and the EU, since March, calling on Brittany Ferries to end their involvement with live animal exports.

The company continues to remain silent despite Compassion’s direct correspondence along with our NGO partners. To date, Brittany Ferries has failed to respond to an open letter signed by over 100 signatories from NGOs, thought leaders, celebrities and scientists which was sent in March 2025.

A letter from the President of the EU Integroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals has also not received a reply.

Thirty years ago, Brittany Ferries announced its widely celebrated decision to stop carrying farmed animals from Britain to mainland Europe, due to the suffering it causes. This U-turn is exposing thousands of animals to tremendous suffering once again.

Transporting farmed animals across long distances is cruel and is fraught with welfare risks. Scientific evidence shows that animals may suffer extremes of temperature and are often deprived of sufficient rest, food or water. As sentient beings, they also experience fear, distress and even death.

Anthony Field, Head of Compassion in World Farming UK, said:

We are here today to send a clear message to Brittany Ferries: this cruelty cannot continue. Their silence makes them complicit in this cruelty. While animals suffer on their ships, the company cannot look the other way. Brittany Ferries’ customers and the wider public deserve to know the truth about the suffering going on below deck - it’s simply unforgivable.

~ends~

For more information please email media.team@ciwf.org or call +44 (0)1483 521 615

Images of the protest can be downloaded here.

Notes to Editors:

Almost 185,000 unweaned calves have been transported from Ireland to the EU in 2025 – via Stena Line, Irish Ferries and Brittany Ferries – bound for veal farms. Unweaned calves cannot be fed because they are dependent on milk and are not yet able to feed on water and hay. It is acknowledged that it is impossible to feed them milk in a truck that contains around 300 calves. The ferry journey times, plus loading and unloading times, means calves end up routinely deprived of feed for between 18 and 27 or more hours. These incredibly cruel journeys are in breach of the European Commission (EC) Regulation 1/2005 which requires these young and vulnerable animals, having been separated from their mothers, to be fed milk replacer but this is not possible on such a long sea crossing and onward journey. The Regulation requires unweaned calves to be fed after 9 hours of transport “if necessary” and to definitely be fed after 19 hours of transport.

Peaceful protesters urge Brittany Ferries to halt its ‘cruel cargo’