The legislative proposal of the European Commission on the transport of live animals, released on last December 7th, is largely a failure in guaranteeing better conditions for farmed animals: it still allows the transport of live animals to third countries, with very long journeys, during which they cannot benefit from the legal protection they receive within the European Union; furthermore, it still provides for the transport of animals by sea, with no time limits, since this type of journey is exempted from any restriction. The text does not provide sufficient protection even for particularly vulnerable animals such as pregnant and unweaned ones, who will still be transported and forced to endure long journeys.
The European Commission’s proposal on the transport of live animals
In addition to the document’s already highlighted critical issues, there is also the failure to provide for adequate measures to protect animals in conditions of extreme temperature and humidity, and there are no indications on the actions required in the event of a transport interruption.
Another concern relates to the many animals excluded from the proposal, including animals transported for scientific purposes, companion animals and aquatic animals, all of which should be protected by legislation specific to their needs.
There are positive aspects, but they are few: in particular the commitment to real-time traceability of travel times on the road, improvements in terms of available space and journeys whose maximum limit is set at 9 hours: a time limit which, however, applies only to animals transported for slaughter, while animals transported for breeding and fattening can travel for 42 hours over the course of 3 days, an excessive limit that is not consistent with the opinions of EFSA, the European Food Safety Authority. In addition, ships flying “black flags” (seriously below standards), which currently make up 55% of the EU-approved livestock transport fleet, would no longer be authorized to operate.
The transport of meat and carcasses: a reference that must become reality
For the first time, the European Commission has mentioned, among the objectives of the regulation, the shift to the transport of meat and carcasses. A particularly welcome mention, following a recent report by Human Behaviour Change for Life, commissioned by Eurogroup for Animals, which shows that the transition to this type of export, compared to the transport of live animals, would not only benefit the animals, but could also save up to 2.5 times the costs and reduce environmental externalities (external effects on the environment linked to the transport of live animals).
Despite its commitment to presenting a complete set of regulations to improve animal welfare by the end of this year, the European Commission has failed to publish the other three legislative proposals, in particular the regulation on farmed animals, through which the promise of a transition to cage-free would have been kept. The mere update of the rules on the transport of live animals and the publication of the new proposal on dogs and cats leave billions of animals at the mercy of outdated legislation, ignoring the request of millions of European citizens for better animal welfare.
The European Union should reflect on citizens’ will and on animal welfare
This proposal comes only one week after the publication of a report highlighting how official data on the transport of live animals is often concealed and how the suffering endured by billions of animals every year is worse than previously thought.
«It is worrying that after such a long wait the European Commission presents only one of the promised proposals, a proposal that lacks ambition and fails to protect animal welfare during transport, despite the ever-growing evidence of the immense suffering they endure. The proposal clearly embraces a ‘business as usual’ approach that prioritizes economic benefits over animal welfare. The time has come for the Council and Parliament to truly reflect the wishes of EU citizens in legislation», comments Reineke Hameleers, CEO of Eurogroup for Animals.
Daria Vitale, Head of Farmed Animals at ALI, adds: «The Commission’s proposal clearly betrays the lack of a serious political will to introduce measures that protect the weaker party in this commercial exchange relationship: the animals. The tendency is to seek to maintain the status quo, through the introduction of rules that displease businesses as little as possible, when what is actually needed is the adoption of strategies aimed at concretely supporting the sector towards an urgent and essential transition. A proposal that is far too unambitious, which risks setting excessively low standards of animal protection for the coming decades».