Keeping animals on the move

One of the most highly charged aspects of the treatment of animals in Europe is the transport over long distances of live animals.

In some EU member states, such as the UK, the issue has sparked angry protests over what is perceived to be a cruel way to treat animals.

The EU has regulated this transport, setting down the maximum journey time - often for slaughter but also for fattening. If the journey is longer, the animals must be allowed to rest. Cattle and sheep may travel for up to 29 hours and pigs and horses for 24 hours after which they must be unloaded from trucks at staging posts. Route plans must be filled out showing where the animals are to be taken and where stop-offs are planned, which the relevant authorities across the member states through which the vehicle travels through are expected to enforce.

Exports of animals outside the EU have diminished greatly following concerns over the treatment of animals. Currently Lebanon is the only country for which subsidies are given for animals being shipped there.

But despite these measures animal welfare groups are unhappy at current practice within the EU. Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) says spot-checks by authorities and animal welfare groups show that in some member states the maximum time allowed to keep animals on the move is being openly flouted.

"My strong sense is that for live journeys going from Spain through Italy and sometimes onto Greece very many indeed are in breach of EU rules and they are not small infringements but fundamental breaches," says Peter Stevenson, chief policy adviser with CIWF.

He contends that in some member states rules are ignored to the extent that blank route plans are stamped by the authorities.

COPA-COGECA, which represents EU farming interests, takes issue with these allegations. "On the whole things are not that bad," says Roxane Feller, head of unit for animal welfare and animal health in COPA-COGECA. "I'm not saying the extreme cases don't exist...but you should not take the exception to change the rules."

In an attempt to address problems with enforcement and to increase standards of the welfare of the animals being transported, the European Commission proposed a regulation revising the rules. The proposal was agreed by member states in 2004 and from next January new-born and pregnant animals will not be allowed to travel, drivers will have to show certificates indicating training and member states will have to nominate a contact point so that when problems arise during transport they can be followed up and traced back. By 2009 all vehicles transporting live animals will be tracked using satellite navigation.

Though the Commission failed to get changes approved on travelling times and stocking density (the number of animals allowed in a given space), Markos Kyprianou, the commissioner for health and consumer protection has said he will introduce these measures before his term in office ends.

The new regulation is welcomed by animal welfare groups but for some the problem of enforcement still has not gone away. "If taken seriously it will help but countries not taking it seriously now come next January won't suddenly have a change of heart," says Stevenson.

What some campaigners, including British Green MEP Caroline Lucas, want to see is a maximum of eight hours put on individual journeys and no further transport allowed after that. But with some member states insisting that their agricultural sector depends on trade in live animals within the EU, such a proposal would have a hard time getting through the Council of Ministers.

One of the most highly charged aspects of the treatment of animals in Europe is the transport over long distances of live animals.

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