The Port of Dover, and other ports in the country, have been urged by the RSPCA to check all sheep exports.

The RSPCA has told George Eustice, Department For Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Minister, who is responsible for animal welfare, that it wants urgent action to safeguard the welfare of thousands of farm animals involved in live exports.

It also wants the government to make an inquiry into the trade.

David Bowles, head of public affairs at the RSPCA, said: “The government has repeatedly said it is in favour of a carcass trade – now is their chance to fund incentives to market English and Welsh lamb and maintain jobs in the livestock sector in a move that would improve the welfare of thousands of farm animals.

“The government has always maintained a position of preferring a trade in meat to one in live animals.”

A spokesman for the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency, which safeguards animal health and welfare, said the law does not require the inspection of all vehicles transporting animals, only an adequate proportion of the animals being transported each year.

The spokesman added: “Inspecting all vehicles using Dover or Ramsgate for export would not be proportionate to the risks involved, and would discriminate against exporters carrying out a legitimate trade.

“Nevertheless, AHVLA inspectors are present at every sailing from Dover or Ramsgate involving the export of live animals for slaughter and they always apply a risk based approach to the inspection of the vehicles using the mv Joline (the boat used to transport animals from Dover).”