Brittany Ferries: Protest against live animal exports held outside Portsmouth offices
An inflatable cow is leading protests in Portsmouth against live animal exports on Brittany Ferries’ ships
An inflatable cow is leading protests outside Brittany Ferries and at Portsmouth Port this morning - angry about Brittany Ferries resuming the live export of animals.
The demonstration was held outside the Brittany Ferries offices in Wharf Road, with similar gatherings outside offices in Ireland and France.
It’s the latest in a series of demos, after live exports resumed at the beginning of 2025.
Speaking outside the Brittany Ferries offices, a protestor who gave her name as Caroline, from Southampton Animal Action, said: “There are hundreds of thousands of animals per year being transported, mainly cows and unweaned calves, who at that age can’t have food and water. It’s predominantly from France to Ireland.
“We think that they thought that the animal rights groups were not so co-ordinated now. We will also be moving to the port to protest.”
The protestors say that in a meeting with the company they were told that live exports were resuming for financial reasons.
Brittany Ferries has been approached for comment about the protest.
This week it announced that it is facing costs this year of about €27 million, comprising new EU environmental tax bills, Covid-19 loan debt, and fewer travellers. It said it would close its routes from Poole to Cherbourg and Portsmouth to Le Havre, and sell vessels used on them. It will start running ferries from Portsmouth to Cherbourg.