Action Sought Against Illegal Transporters of Animals
Authorities in Ras Al Khaimah have been alerted several times recently to pay closer attention to trucks transporting livestock in and out of the emirate without any necessary permits. Drivers who operate legally are frustrated and demanding penalties to be put in place to deter those involved.
The majority of illegal animal transportation takes place en route from Saqr port to Ras Al Khaimah’s livestock markets and other emirates.
Article source: Khaleej Times
Ahmed Ali, a Pakistani driver, said the authorities must take action against truck drivers who transport animals without proper permits.
‘The increasing number of trucks not permitted to transport animals to the Ras Al Khaimah livestock markets and around the ports has, on many occasions, left us idle. Sometimes, drivers who are licensed to transport animals in the emirate have to scramble with the illegal truck drivers for the few customers,’ said Ali.
Khan Abdullah, another truck driver, said the illegal trucks which are owned by individuals and, in some cases, bear Omani number plates, deny them the chance to operate as they charge less for transporting animals.
Some of these trucks were given licenses for transporting merchandise and other goods, but not animals, he pointed out.
‘After offloading the goods, the drivers go to the livestock markets and to the port to look for animals which need to be transported. Most of these trucks also do not have the required safety standards for transporting livestock, especially during the harsh weather conditions,’ said Abdullah.
Hamad Al Shamsi, Deputy Director of the Department of Economic Development in Ras Al Khaimah, said only trucks with licences from the department are permitted to transport livestock within and outside the emirate.
He stressed that the department would soon carry out inspections at livestock markets and ports to crack down on illegal transporters.
Meanwhile, the Department of Economic Development will soon start the public auction of livestock in order to control the prices which are likely to increase during Eid Al Adha.
Al Shamsi said that following the increasing complaints from livestock customers about the regular increases in the prices of animals, the department decided to introduce auctioning of animals and they will open up a permanent office at the RAK livestock market in order to conduct and supervise the auctions.
The auctioning of livestock in RAK was approved by the Ministry of Economy last month.
According to Al Shamsi, the system of auctioning animals has been introduced to ensure that the prices of livestock in the emirate are based on the supply and demand factors.
Currently, the prices of sheep in the RAK livestock market range from Dh450 to Dh650 depending on the weight and the country of origin.
Goats are being sold between Dh350 and Dh500.
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