Europe Upgrades Conditions for Animals in Transit

BRUSSELS, Belgium, November 23, 2004 (ENS) - Animals transported across Europe will be better treated in the future in accord with new rules agreed Monday by the agricultural ministers of the 25 European Union member states. Under the new system the youngest and pregnant animals will not travel. More space is allowed for horses in the transport vehicles, and for journeys longer than eight hours, each horse will have an individual stall.

The EU Agriculture Council reached political agreement on the new rules contained in a regulation that was drafted by the European Commission. The ministers said the regulation will increase animal welfare by "radically improving the enforcement of animal transport rules in Europe." The new system will enter into force by 2007.

Horse transport will beceom less stressful for the animals under new European rules. (Photo courtesy Alfasaga Farms)

The regulation introduces new, more efficient enforcement tools such as vehicle checks via a satellite navigation system. Vehicle movements will be traced by a compulsory satellite system for new trucks from 2007 and for all of them from 2009.

Pre-approval and registration in an electronic data base for trucks, road to sea containers, as well as sea vessels will be required for all vehicles.

There are much stricter rules for journeys of more than eight hours, including substantial upgrading in vehicle standards. Mechanical ventilation will be mandatory and so will a temperature monitoring system with an automatic alert for the driver. Watering facililties and water tanks must be available.

On oceangoing vessels, better conditions will include inclined ramps and drinking equipment.

The regulation recognizes that most of the stress on the animals occurs around loading and unloading and introduces rules to deal with situations before and after transport at slaughterhouses and at harbors. The design and use of proper loading and unloading facilities in farms, markets and slaughterhouses will be required.

The European Commission welcomed the Council’s political agreement with its revision of the animal transport rules. Markos Kyprianou of Cyprus, the new commissioner for health and consumer protection, wanted to make the new rules even more protective.

European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection Markos Kyprianou (Photo courtesy European Commission)

Kyprianou said that knowing who is responsible for what and when "will help enormously in ensuring that the rules are properly enforced.”

The Commission proposed a revision of the animal transport rules in July 2003. Since member states could not agree on a revision of traveling times and stocking densities of animals on trucks, the Commission agreed that these two issues would be subject to revision in the light of the outcomes of enforcement by the states. This compromise allowed for the adoption of better enforcement tools in animal transport.

There will be training and compulsory standards of care for drivers and attendants. Today few rules apply to loading, unloading and handling animals. But under the new system, striking or kicking the animals is prohibited.

Sheep in pens awaiting sale at Acklington Mart, Northumberland, England (Photo courtesy Farm and Rural)

That will change when the new rules take effect. Drivers will have to keep a comprehensive journey log for trips of more than eight hours reporting the welfare of the animals in transit, including the number of animals arriving dead or unfit.

The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) has welcomed the new EU agreement on the transportation of live animals. Speaking in Brussels Monday, IFA National Livestock Committee Chairman John Bryan gave his stamp of approval to the fact that an agreement was reached at the EU Council meeting.

Bryan said for Irish agriculture the issue has now moved on to resolving the ferry access problem for the live export trade which will emerge after December 16 when P&O will pull its vessels off the Rosslare/Cherbourg route between Ireland and France.