Photo – Mark

I think that any of us in welfare who have been involved with live animal transport over one, two, or (in my case) around 40 years, we all know what a complete and utter farce the Regulation is for the ‘protection of animals during transport’  – Reg 1/2005 – EUR-Lex – 32005R0001 – EN – EUR-Lex (europa.eu)  We know it well as part of our work, and yet despite overwhelming evidence and footage over decades showing endless suffering of animals during transport, and the non compliances with the EU legislation, the people in the EU who could change things just ignore and turn the other way.

The footage you see here from our friends at AWF is yet more examples of the EU gone wrong.

It has been time for change for decades; but now the EU Commission hopefully is really in last chance saloon.  It happens all over the world, not just in Europe.  The sooner we see legislators get off their butts and do something to actually protect animals in transport, is a day that cannot come soon enough.   Until the ban the fight goes on; and the evidence continues to pile.

Mark

Photo – Mark

The Animal Welfare Foundation, released three reports on June 16 highlighting some of the horrific realities of the live animal transport industry. Coupled with their recent investigations into the sector, it’s clear change must happen – and that only the European Commission can bring on the scale of action needed.

The first report is concerned with which factors – including bedding, loading density, and distance – have the strongest impacts on the welfare of cattle during transport. It analyses 112 consignments of cattle on trucks that were inspected over a period of five years, between 2016 and 2021. Ultimately, their findings indicate that insufficient welfare provisions overwhelmingly impact an animal’s physical and emotional health, and can even shorten their lifespans. 

The second report focuses on the long distance transport of lambs between the same time period. The findings are shocking – AWF records that out of the consignments they investigated: 

100% had inadequate drinking devices for lambs

90% provided insufficient space for the lambs to move – in at least 44% of the vehicles, the space for each individual animal came only to 0.18m2

65% had issues that were likely to lead to injuries, such as sharp edges and loose dividers

At least 35% of the vehicles had been travelling for longer than permitted by law.

The third and final report follows a similar theme, and reports on the transport of unweaned calves between 2015 – 2021. As with lambs, it was found that the care these poor calves received was far from satisfactory, as in the consignments they investigated:

100% had inadequate drinking devices for unweaned calves

In at least 73%, animals were not fed after nine hours

At least 47% of the vehicles had been travelling for longer than permitted by law.

In both the second and third reports, AWF noted that well over half the animals being transported were showing acute signs of distress, including restlessness, biting and licking the metal bars they were trapped behind, and making loud noises.

Their insightful work makes the connection clearer than ever. The millions of sentient beings that are subjected to long journeys each year are not only being badly taken care of, but they are sensitive to the conditions in which they are transported as well. Measures must be taken to ensure these sentient beings are given adequate space to move, access to clean water, good nutrition and a comfortable environment to make these journeys as stress-free as possible.

Recent investigations by the Animal Welfare Foundation also stress the urgency of new live animal transport rules

Earlier this year, the Animal Welfare Foundation released heartbreaking footage of the journey of some young calves, which they followed from the Czech Republic to a fattening farm in Spain.

Their footage shows that these poor infants were starved for hours, and one calf in particular, which they named Marek, was not even able to get a quick drink of water.

Also this year, AWF’s investigative team intercepted trucks carrying lambs to Italy for Easter – resulting in over 20,000 EUR worth of fines for transport companies which were caught violating the EU’s transport legislation:

All the evidence points to a critical need for the European Commission to take action

AWF’s illuminating work complements a range of scientific evidence published by the likes of EFSA and the European Court of Auditors already that points to the necessity of better animal welfare provisions being made for animals that are transported.

The European Commission must use this wealth of information and data to make dramatic changes to this industry that causes so much suffering to millions of sentient beings each year. In particular, they must:

Ban ‘unfit animals’ from being transported, including unweaned animals and very young babies, like the lambs and calves recorded by AWF, for whom these journeys are even more difficult to bear

Place strict limitations on journey distances

Enforce any new animal welfare legislation written for live transport more effectively, to guarantee these stricter regulations are being followed.

It’s time for the welfare needs of transported animals to be honoured as seriously as they deserve. 

We’re putting the spotlight on animal welfare this year through phase two of our No Animal Left Behind campaign! Learn more.

Regards Mark

12 June 2023

Around 1.5 million farm animals undergo long and gruelling journeys from Europe to other countries each year. Transported via land and sea, these poor sentient beings have few rules in place to ensure their welfare, especially when they are exported to countries outside the EU’s scope. Affecting so many species and in such great numbers, it’s vital the European Commission puts the live animal transport industry under the microscope while revising the animal welfare legislation.

At Eurogroup for Animals, we’ve been campaigning for change in the live animal transport industry for years. Not only is it detrimental to the welfare of countless animals, but tragedies in this sector are common.

In the best case scenario, the European Commission should aim towards phasing out live animal transport entirely – substituting it for a meat and carcasses trade, so that no animals should be forced to endure difficult journeys that are innately abnormal for them. At the very least, they should enforce much stricter laws within the sector to ensure these animals experience the highest possible welfare standards during transportation. We dig into the issues a little more below.

Some quick facts about live animal transport in the EU

The below was taken from our 2021 white paper, ‘Live Animal Transport: Time to Change the Rules’. Download it here for more insights.

In 2019:

 1,618,275,545 ovines, bovines, poultry and pigs were transported alive across the EU and from the EU to non-European countries

Poultry made up 98% of total live animal exports, which made them the most traded farm animal species. The top EU exporters of poultry were Poland, Hungary, the Netherlands and France

57,523 tonnes of fish was reported as exported alive from the EU, with 93% of these destined for other Member States

87,817 horses, asses, mules and hinnies were transported alive across the EU and to the rest of the world.

These are not small numbers. Changes to the laws surrounding live animal transport would affect millions of lives and most kept species, making it arguably one of the most important sectors for the European Commission to address in their ongoing changes to the animal welfare legislation, especially as…

The live animal transport industry is riddled with problems

This sector is not in a good state. Current laws for live animal transport are not strong enough or go far enough to protect all the animals that are transported annually. As of this moment, the industry:

Does not have any strict limitations on journey times: Which means animals can be transported for days – or even weeks – before they get to their destination. Can you imagine being hungry, thirsty, sleepless and stressed for this long?

Permits ‘unfit animals’ to be transported: This includes heavily pregnant and injured animals, as well as babies. These sentient beings feel the burdens of live transport even more heavily than their ‘healthy’ counterparts. Sometimes, even sick animals are subjected to these journeys as well, as they are not inspected properly before being loaded onto transport vessels – which poses a big risk to both the animals they are travelling with and public health

Does not have any control over what happens to exported animals: The European Commission cannot regulate what happens to animals once they are transported beyond the EU’s borders. As a result, millions of animals ‘disappear’ beyond the scope of our welfare laws, and become the victims of potentially horrific treatment

Does not enforce good welfare conditions for transported animals: There are currently few measures in place to monitor the welfare of transported animals, meaning there’s little knowledge of what really goes on in the sector. What’s more, there’s evidence these oversights are being exploited – recent investigations by our members Essere Animali and the Animal Welfare Foundation report animals being neglected, injured and malnourished during journeys this year.

Across the world, live animal transport causes countless tragedies

The past few years have played host to a number of awful incidents related to the live animal transport industry, too. 

In 2019, over 14,000 sheep were left to die in the Black Sea after a boat capsized on the way to Saudi Arabia.

In 2020, the Gulf Livestock 1 vessel sank off the coast of Japan while travelling to China, taking around 6,000 animals with it.

Similarly two vessels bound for Turkey – the Karim Allah and Elbeik – ended up being stranded at sea for over three months in 2020, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of cattle. We worked with the Animal Welfare Foundation to produce a report on this incident, concluding the welfare of the animals on these ships was seriously compromised from the start.

Travelling via land or sea in boats, lorries and otherwise is in itself an unnatural experience for non-human animals – and in the worst cases, it can be fatal. The European Commission must do everything it can to reduce the stress, discomfort and fear these poor beings feel while being transported alive, as well as to mitigate the potential loss of life that can be incurred through long distance exportations. It’s the least they can do.

Official bodies agree the live animal transport industry cannot be ignored – and some countries are already setting the standard for change

In 2022, the European Food Safety Authority published their recommendations to improve animal welfare during live transport, which included shorter journey times and more space for the animals to move.

Even more recently, in 2023, the European Court of Auditors released a review on the transport of live animals, concluding structural changes to the industry and more notice of welfare provisions were much-needed.

We welcome this support from these official bodies to change live transport for the better – and in fact, a lot of what they recommend echoes the steps we laid out in our 2021 white paper to improve the standards in this sector. When it comes to exports in particular, however, the Commission should go even further – by banning live animal exports to countries outside the EU entirely. Live animal exports by sea have already been banned in New Zealand, and a trial court in Brazil opted to make a similar move earlier this year. A little closer to home, Luxembourg banned the export of live animals to third countries for slaughter purposes in 2022. As the welfare of exported animals outside Member States can’t be guaranteed, and the risks are greater during these longer journeys, a full ban on this type of transport is the only move that makes sense.

The European Commission must not miss this opportunity to reform live animal transport for the better

This is a critical year for kept animals, as the European Commission continues to revise its animal welfare legislation. The only way for them to show they’re taking higher animal welfare standards as seriously as they deserve, however, is to make bold and enforceable changes to the laws related to live animal transport: an industry which influences the fates of so many sentient beings, and therefore wields enormous power over their welfare as a whole. Will you tweet in support of better animal welfare standards for all?

We’re putting the spotlight on animal welfare this year through phase two of our No Animal Left Behind campaign. Find out more about how we’re trying to change history for animals.

Regards Mark

Live animal transport: new Essere Animali report presented to the European Parliament

9 June 2023

Essere Animali

Yesterday at the European Parliament Essere Animali presented a new report dedicated to the investigations on live animal transport conducted in the last three years.

The event was hosted by Niels Fuglsang MEP (S&D, Denmark), Vice-President of the Intergroup on the welfare and conservation of animals and Chairman of the Animal transport working group.

The report analyses the law enforcement controls that took place during the investigations conducted in Italy and the shortcomings of the current European Regulation which is currently being revised by the European Commission.

The debate was also an opportunity for MEPs from different parliamentary groups to exchange views on such a complex and important issue in order to truly guarantee compliance with higher welfare standards in the EU.

The key priorities for the Transport Regulation’s review must be the 8-hour limit for all transport and the ban on transport for pregnant and unweaned animals. Another crucial aspect is the ban on extra-EU transports. We believe that these points and animal welfare should be included in the manifestos for the next European elections in 2024 and we will work in this direction.

Niels Fuglsang – MEP

Francisco Guerreiro MEP (Greens, Portugal) emphasised that “The role of the European parties to include these demands in the electoral programmes is crucial”.

Every year, more than one billion animals are transported in Europe both to extra-EU countries and within Europe’s borders. According to the latest report released at the end of 2022 by the Italian Ministry of Health on the activity carried out by the Border Control Posts (PCF) and the Veterinary Offices for Community Compliance (UVAC), in 2021 the following animals were imported into Italy from other EU countries: 1.4 million pigs, 1.3 million cattle, 790 thousand sheep and over 56 million poultry, most of which were 1-day-old chicks.

Essere Animali investigations, started in 2021 and carried out until Easter 2023, focused on two of the main problems affecting Italy: the long-distance transport of lambs and the very high temperatures that affect animals during transport, even on short distances, in the summer. 

The latest shocking checks by Essere Animali conducted in Easter this year showed the terrible suffering to which animals are still subjected, with conditions so painful that Italian vets found themselves forced to euthanise some animals inside the trucks. 

The lambs transported on long distances often travel in overcrowded conditions, without access to food and water and without protection from dangerous gaps that often cause injuries and end up trapping body parts of these fragile and very young animals.

In recent years, the European Parliament has tried, with the ANIT Committee, to document the limitations of the current legislation, but the final Recommendations called for minor improvements rather than systemic change.  

Investigations conducted also in recent weeks show that animal transport is one of the phases of production with the most violations, the least protection for animals and continuous suffering and mistreatment that can no longer be ignored.

We hope, therefore, that the Commission can take into account our report and the scientific evidence also highlighted by the latest EFSA opinions (2022) and propose a revision that can really protect animals during this phase, raising animal welfare standards and at the same time starting a transition to the transport of meat and carcasses.

Chiara Caprio, Head of Public Affairs at Essere Animali

Regards Mark

Live animal exports might be banned in Brazil – setting the scene for the kind of change we want to see in Europe

9 May 2023

A trial court in Brazil recently ruled to ban live exports, following a number of NGOs filing lawsuits against the practice based on the harm it causes to farm animals. While the decision is not yet final, this is the kind of bold move we need to see European policymakers make against live animal transport in the EU – a system within which millions of poor sentient beings suffer physically, mentally and emotionally each year.

Animals are not things. They are sentient living beings, that is, individuals who feel hunger, thirst, pain, cold, anguish, fear.

Djalma Gomes, federal judge (source).

On April 25, a potentially historic ruling was made by a trial court in Brazil to end live animal exports. This decision was made following the tireless efforts of several NGOs who, since 2017, have been campaigning to end all live animal exports from Brazil after NADA, the largest live cargo transport ship in the country, came under scrutiny for its extremely poor animal welfare conditions.

Brazil’s call for a ban should inspire the EU to look at its own Transport Regulation more closely

While this ruling will not be final until it is reviewed by a higher court (Brazil’s Third Regional Federal Court) – a process which could take years – it’s an extremely promising first step towards changing the country’s live animal export industry in a truly effective way, mirroring a recent move by New Zealand to ban live exports by sea.

Both bans also send a strong message to the rest of the world, that we hope European policymakers take note of: that the live animal export sector is filled with serious affronts to animal welfare, and needs to be addressed at a dramatic scale. Farm animals often suffer hugely on long journeys, whether travelling via land or sea, including by being:

Starved and dehydrated – as they often travel for several hours without being given food or water

Exhausted – due to the strain these journeys put on them, and the impossibility to relax. A WELFARM investigation found animals being transported from Poland to the Franco-German border were kept in their trucks for 20 hours with no breaks

Subjected to overheating – especially when they are being transported in the summer, when temperatures soar

Crammed together – which can cause injuries and further stress to these animals as they are transported, a process which is already entirely unnatural to them.

Not only do these sentient beings suffer immensely on these journeys, but the rules that are already in place to protect them through the EU’s Transport Regulation are not even being adequately enforced. Over Easter this year, our member Essere Animali together with the Italian police stopped seven trucks transporting lambs arriving from Romania, Hungary and Slovakia. Six of these were violating the EU’s transport rules, including by overcrowding the trucks, overlooking injuries to the animals and more. 

Much firmer rules and restrictions: how should Europe’s live animal transport sector be addressed?

In 2019, over 1.6 billion farmed animals were transported alive across the EU and to non-European countries. It’s clear the European Commission’s Transport Regulation needs a serious overhaul if it is to effectively improve the lives of farm animals across Europe, as our extensive white paper on the subject explores in more detail. 

Beyond creating much stricter rules for animals transported between EU countries, however, it’s important that policymakers also consider taking similar steps to Brazil and New Zealand by enacting a full ban on live animal exports to countries outside of Europe’s borders. When animals are transported to third countries, it’s much easier for the EU’s transport rules to go unfollowed. Banning live exports to non-European countries entirely would be the only way to ensure the EU’s high animal welfare standards are not being undermined elsewhere in the world.

Ideally, international instruments for animal welfare will also be developed in future to ensure that animals are protected globally, by strong and enforced regulations that have their welfare at their heart. But Europe can already inspire great change in this area – and improve the lives of billions of European farm animals – by making powerful revisions to animal legislation that prioritise their essential needs and comfort. More insights into animal welfare during transport can be obtained in our 2022 position paper.

We have our fingers crossed that change is ahead

The live animal transport sector has always been notoriously difficult to monitor, as well as one in which the welfare of animals has been easily cast aside. We’re impressed with Brazil’s recent ruling, and hope it inspires policymakers both in Europe and the rest of the world to give the sector the kind of attention it deserves. If it does, the future will look a lot brighter for billions of farm animals.

Regards Mark

Draft Impact Assessment – a good start for an ambitious legislation

20 April 2023

Press Release

The draft Impact Assessment report on the revision of the EU’s animal welfare legislation, leaked today, reaffirms the European Commission’s aim of making the EU the global leader in animal protection.

In the Farm to Fork Strategy, the European Commission (EC) committed to revise all animal welfare legislation, to align it with the latest scientific evidence, broaden its scope and make it easier to enforce. The proposed measures are based on scientific recommendations provided by EFSA, the European Food Safety Agency, anchoring them in a strong evidence-base. 

The proposals are expected by late September, however, the details of the Impact Assessment (IA) working document, as revealed by Agra Facts, are promising for the billions of animals involved.

The EC recognises that “Societal demands are not met – As identified in the Fitness Check, the trend is clear: many EU citizens pay increasing attention to animal welfare. A clear reflection of this is the ECI ‘End the Cage Age’ …. Ethical concerns are also raised against e.g. the systematic killing of male one-day old chicks and against long-distance animal transports and fur farming…..In addition, most EU citizens expect a more sustainable food production, i.e. less intensive farming and breeding systems.”

The impact assessment looks at 18 measures to improve the welfare of kept animals. Eurogroup for Animals particularly welcomes measures to: 

Phase out of cages for all species 

Increase space allowance for all species

Ban the systematic culling of male chicks

Introduce welfare requirements for the stunning of farmed fish

Ban cruel slaughter practices like water baths and CO2 for poultry and pigs

Ban mutilations, like beak trimming, tail docking, dehorning or surgical castration of pigs 

Limited journey times for the transport of animals destined to slaughter

Apply the EU’s standards to imported animal products in a way that is compatible with WTO rules

We are also pleased to see that on fur farming the EC is acknowledging the serious welfare issues that a cage system causes to wild animals and is taking into consideration the 1.7 million voices calling for a Fur Free Europe. 

The final Impact Assessment still has a long road to go before the actual proposals will be adopted, and we call on the Regulatory Scrutiny Board and Interservice Consultation to improve the proposals mainly with regards to shortening transition times to phase out cages and tightening the rules on live animal transport. 

This is a very good start and reflects the decades of citizens campaigning and scientific evidence produced in the EU. In light of the results of the Impact Assessment, the EC must seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity and come forward with strong legislation that effectively improves the welfare of animals in Europe and globally. Ambitious legislation will benefit animals, citizens and farmers alike.

Reineke Hameleers, CEO of Eurogroup for Animals

Regards Mark

New review on live animal transport echoes our call for change in the industry

18 April 2023

Opinion

We were pleased with the conclusions drawn in the “Transport of live animals in the EU: challenges and opportunities’’ review produced by the European Court of Auditors. Published on April 17, it re-emphasises the need for a serious revision of the Live Animals Transport Regulation – a bold move for animal welfare that we have been campaigning for for years.

The review recognises many problems involved in long-distance transport, and presents some important proposals for addressing them.

It highlights that reducing the number and length of journeys, improving the conditions for live animals during transport, and finding alternatives to transporting them could mitigate the negative impacts of this practice – of which there are many.

What is more, the report recognises that the Regulation is not implemented in the same way by all Member States, resulting in some industry players being able to exploit the different systems enabled by national sanctions.

In addition, the report acknowledges that the quality of animal welfare during transport is not considered in the cost of transport/price of meat – and neither is the environment. The review points out that there is a contradiction between the Green Deal’s call for a transition to a more sustainable food system and the increased amount of live animals that are transported, and further cites studies that show that transporting meat and carcasses is more sustainable than transporting live animals.

Horrible for animal welfare and economically and environmentally worse than the alternatives on offer, it’s clear that live animal transport does not belong in the future of farming in the EU.

Another critical aspect the report addresses is the need for more reliable data on live animal transport. The tracking systems that are currently available do not provide an accurate read on the number and condition of animals transported into, and especially outside of, the EU. In 2018, the Commission estimated that TRACES recorded only 31.6% of cattle and 3.5% of sheep exported by livestock vessels from Croatia, Slovenia, Spain, France, Ireland, Portugal, and Romania combined. With no insight into what’s happening on these long journeys across Europe, who knows what these poor sentient beings are going through?

So far, decisions in the live animal transport industry have mostly been made based on consumer preferences and economic factors. Based on the review’s findings, and with the European Commission soon to revise its animal welfare and transport rules, the European Court of Auditors urges that they instead focus on: 

Promoting the transport of meat rather than live animals, as well as the use of local and mobile slaughterhouses – to reduce the suffering of animals and their time spent travelling

Increasing transparency and harmonisation in meat labelling – for example, through an EU animal welfare labelling system, so consumers can make more considered buying choices and are aware of where their animal products have come from

Harnessing the latest technologies to track all animal journeys – so the EU really knows what’s happening while animals are on the move, and can take clearer steps to protect them.

The report adds to the pile of evidence and conclusions shared in the last couple of years from the ANIT Committee, EFSA, the fitness check of the European Commission and several investigations by animal NGOs that demonstrate live animal transport is causing tremendous suffering to animals. It should give the final push to the Commission to propose a revised Transport Regulation that doesn’t allow for animals to be transported beyond eight hours (or four hours for poultry and rabbits), prohibits the transport of vulnerable animals (like unweaned calves) and bans live exports. We believe no more evidence should be needed for the Commission to make these decisions once and for all.

Learn more about our views on live animal transport in our 2021 white paper.

Regards Mark

12 April 2023

As part of Eurogroup for Animals’ ‘No Animal Left Behind’ campaign, posters can be found in Brussels’ EU district this week targeting the European Commission in light of the “once in a lifetime opportunity” to change history for farmed animals with its imminent revision of animal welfare legislation.

EU animal welfare rules remain limited, poorly enforced, and plagued by loopholes, leading to widespread suffering in the farming sector. From the cruel handling of broiler chickens to chaining the back legs of dairy cows, our recent exposé reveals how the EU’s farmed animals are being callously treated by those who are meant to care for them.

At the end of March, Eurogroup for Animals launched the second phase of the ‘No Animals Left Behind’ campaign together with its over 80 member organisations around Europe and beyond. The campaign aims to expose existing animal welfare shortcomings in EU legislation and offer feasible solutions to the unnecessary suffering of the EU’s farmed animals that could be incorporated in the revised legislation due by the end of the year. 

Posters were strategically placed around Brussels’ EU district to raise awareness about the upcoming revision of the EU’s animal welfare legislation and remind policy makers about EU citizens’ expectations in light of the mass public response to End the Cage Age European Citizens’ Initiative, Fur Free Europe European Citizens’ Initiative and the first No Animal Left Behind campaign.  

Regards Mark