Animal Transportation Needs Special Care - Especially When the Freight is Valuable Bloodstock

UK – US – IRELAND – The shipment of animals is always a tricky proposition for freight forwarders and carriers alike, but when the cargo is more than 80 valuable racehorses, the headaches multiply exponentially. Now CargoLogicAir (CLA), Britain's only main deck cargo airline, has demonstrated its expertise in moving live animals with two Boeing 747 freighter flights delivering consignments of just such elite racehorses from the United States to Europe.

The flights, at the end of October from Atlanta to London Stansted and from Chicago to Shannon in the Republic of Ireland, followed CargoLogicAir being awarded a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) licence. The initial consignment was of just two high value warmblood mares for CLA customer, Horse America. The horses will participate in the UK’s famous Tattersalls’ Newmarket Sales of thoroughbred bloodstock in December.

Praise came from Scarlette Gotwals, Director Flight Operations for Horse America, who said how pleased with the knowledge and professionalism of the CLA team, picking out the ground handlers for special mention on this, the first flight undertaken on its behalf.

Six days later, the second CargoLogicAir flight from Chicago safely transported 80 flat and hurdles racehorses, with an average weight of 500 kg each, on behalf of Intradco Global, one of the world’s leading livestock air charter specialists. The horses had been acquired in the annual Keeneland sales in Kentucky, which attracts hundreds of bloodstock experts from across the globe. Dane Riecker, Equine Agent for Intradco Global said:

“We were glad to see our partnership with equine charters is thriving. The growing fleet and reliability of CargoLogicAir mean we have a good long-term partner for future horse movements, and we are looking forward to some exciting projects in 2019.”

Prior to each departure, the horses were issued with a signed Health Certificate by the United States Department of Agriculture before beginning their journeys in special horse stalls to ensure their comfort and safety. Throughout the flights, they also received plenty of hay and other supplies and were monitored by trained and experienced grooms, who were employed by CLA’s customers to accompany the precious cargo during the entire journey by air and road. All procedures were completed in compliance with IATA’s Live Animals Regulations, ensuring all of the horses arrived at their destinations fit and healthy and CLA says its services will now be enhanced by the arrival of its fourth Boeing 747 freighter, which joined the airline’s fleet last month. David Kerr, CEO of CargoLogicAir, commented: “When we perform live cargo transportations such as deliveries of high value bloodstock, our prime focus is to guarantee the safety, comfort and well-being of the animals. Live cargo transportation is one of CLA’s key areas of expertise and has been one of our fastest-growing sectors in 2018.

”Gaining our USDA licence reflects the quality of service we provide and represents another important milestone for us because it enables CargoLogicAir to connect the biggest horse markets in the world between the UK, Europe and the US. This increases our ability to meet the needs of our cargo customers in this market segment and will open up new business opportunities for us.”