The European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Transport have once again proved divided over the recasting of the rules on animal transport.
Worse still, MEP Thomas Waitz (Greens/EFA, Austrian) asked the EPP to provisionally appoint a new rapporteur, on the grounds that the Romanian Daniel Buda was allegedly involved in the corruption case orchestrated by lobbyists from the Chinese firm Huawei.
Tilly Metz (Greens/EFA, Luxembourger), co-rapporteur on this text alongside Mr Buda, acknowledged that it would be difficult to find a compromise in the European Parliament on the Commission’s proposal on animal transport (see EUROPE 13594/8). She reiterated the points of agreement (evaluation of the text after five years, better application of the text, driver training, provisions for injured animals) and disagreement (transport times, maritime transport, space and temperature in vehicles, transition to the transport of carcasses rather than live animals) with the EPP.
Daniel Buda, the other rapporteur, said that the draft report clearly showed the difference in approach.
He mentioned the problems caused by the proposal regarding the temperatures required in transport lorries. Francisco de Borja Giménez Larraz (EPP, Spanish) believed that increasing the space for animals in lorries would lead to an increase in CO2 emissions and more lorries on the roads. In Spain, for example, the fact that transport is not allowed at temperatures above 30 degrees meant that transport was not possible for four or five months of the year. Bert-Jan Ruissen (ECR, Dutch) considered that the presence of a veterinarian during loading and unloading was unnecessary. Benoît Cassart (Renew Europe, Belgian) was concerned about the effects of the proposal on the livestock sector.
Marianne Vind (S&D, Danish) advocated shorter transport times, more space for animals to move and feed themselves, and compliance with the rules throughout transport, regardless of the destination country (including a third country). Thomas Waitz suggested that most of his agricultural peers no longer want long-distance transport. Some people want to try to prevent the reform, he said. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)