More than 100 Irish calves have died following a road crash in The Netherlands.
The animals died near the Dutch-Belgian border earlier this week when the vehicle carrying them turned over following a collision.
The incident happened on Thursday at around 4pm on a stretch of road close to Hazeldonk.
The driver of the truck was not injured.
“The calves, originally collected in Co Kilkenny, were being transported by Trevor Logan Transport, a major international haulage company based in Co Antrim,” reports Agriland.ie.
The animals, which totalled 300 in total, were on their way to Groningen in The Netherlands to be reared for veal.
They left Rosslare in Wexford last Tuesday, February 27.
Barry Logan, of Trevor Logan Transport, confirmed the deaths to Agriland.ie and explained that the remaining calves had survived their ordeal. He added that the company has never experienced a similar incident.
Local media footage show the surviving young animals fenced off at the side of the road as police and law enforcement dealt with the collision. The road was closed for several hours as a result.
“They are our own calves; we bought them in the south. We transport over there every year. The calves were going to be reared for veal,” Mr Logan added in conversation with Agriland.ie.
Local Dutch media says the incident “was caused by a rear-end collision between two trucks”.
BN DeStem stated: “Emergency services, including a veterinarian and a forester, spent several hours catching escaped calves.
“Replacement transport came on-site to recharge the calves and transport them further. The dead animals were cleared.”
