The rapporteurs of the European Parliament’s committee of inquiry on the protection of animals during transport on Friday 3 December generally welcomed the outcome of recommendations to strengthen the current rules, which date from 2005 (see EUROPE 12845/11).
The European Commission will have to make proposals in 2023 to improve animal welfare during transport.
Rapporteur Isabel Carvalhais (S&D, Portugal) told the press on Friday that the committee of inquiry had presented “credible avenues and sustainable and ambitious solutions to move to a new paradigm in which animal welfare is taken into account during transport, while safeguarding economic and social interests”.
“We sometimes had heated debates”, admitted the other rapporteur, Daniel Buda (EPP, Romania).
“The final result was not conditioned by external pressure”, Carvalhais said in response to a question about attempts by certain lobbies to influence MEPs’ votes.
Tilly Metz would have preferred a more ambitious result. The chairwoman of the committee of inquiry, Tilly Metz (Greens/EFA), told EUROPE that the committee’s recommendations “are a step in the right direction, but they fall far short of the expectations of NGOs and citizens”. She says that the report disapproves of the “numerous failings” of the current animal transport system and identifies a dire need for stricter rules.
She also regrets that the plan to limit travel time to 8 hours did not win a majority. “In January 2022, our colleagues will have the opportunity to show more ambition in plenary. It will be our last chance to show the Commission and Member States what kind of system we want: an industrial system where live animals are transported halfway across the world in horrible conditions or sustainable regional food systems where animals are reared and slaughtered within reasonable distances”, concluded Mrs Metz.
Two alternative compromises. Two alternative compromises proposed by the Greens/EFA group were adopted in the vote on the recommendations.
The alternative amendment calls for a ban on the transport of unweaned animals under 5 weeks of age.
The alternative compromise of not allowing the transport of females in the last third of their pregnancy was also approved. The compromise amendments on unweaned and pregnant animals were adopted with 16 votes in favour, 15 against and no abstentions.
However, the Greens/EFA group’s suggestions on transport time did not achieve a majority (15 in favour, 15 against and one abstention). The Greens/EFA group would have liked to see a maximum duration of 8 hours (24 hours maximum when transported by sea). Mrs Metz intends to reintroduce this amendment in the plenary vote.
The compromise of the S&D and EPP groups, which was endorsed, still calls for limiting the transport time to 8 hours (for animals destined for slaughter), with possible derogations for regions with “specific geographical characteristics”.
Other recommendations. The MEPs are calling for: - an action plan with a clear timetable to reduce the transport of animals and move as far as possible towards the transport of meat/carcasses and genetic material; - an update of transport standards, including animal welfare indicators, in the next revision of the regulation promised by the European Commission; - a centralised approval system for livestock vessels and a ban on transport without a credible contingency plan.
Finally, the MEPs are calling for controls to ensure that any exports of animals to third countries comply with the rules until their final destination.
The NGO Compassion in World Farming EU, which supports a ban on live animal exports to third countries, was very disappointed with the recommendations made by MEPs. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)