European agriculture ministers confirmed their differences, on Friday 12 December in Brussels, and expressed reservations about the European Commission’s ambitious proposal to improve transport conditions for farm animals.
Several Member States, including Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, France and Austria, insisted on the need to update legislation deemed obsolete, on the importance of relying on scientific data and on the priority to be given to animal welfare during long journeys for vulnerable animals or in the event of extreme temperatures.
Many ministers (Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Latvia, etc.) called for the avoidance of the imposition of excessive constraints on sectors already in difficulty, and for equal conditions for competition (level playing field) to be guaranteed both within the EU and with third countries. France and Spain insisted on the need for reciprocity in trade with these countries. In particular, Italy stressed the need to “guarantee the continuity of economic activities and equal treatment for European and third-country operators”.
Several Member States (Portugal, Romania, Bulgaria) rejected the idea of different transport times depending on the final destination of the animals (slaughter or breeding). Austria called for the minimum age for transporting calves to be raised, and supported the use of specific reference values for transporting calves at temperatures above 30°C. Several ministers challenged rules based solely on outside temperature (Bulgaria, Romania).
Germany called for long-distance transport to be limited and for the transport of live animals to be replaced as far as possible by exports of meat or genetic material.
Sweden placed particular emphasis on antibiotic resistance.
Olivér Várhelyi, the European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, noted the progress (https://aeur.eu/f/jyu ) made in the discussions under the Danish Presidency of the Council, particularly with regard to simplifying the rules, and called for a balance to be found between improving animal welfare and maintaining a competitive sector (see EUROPE 13713/18). He expressed the hope that the EU Council would reach a common position during the Cypriot Presidency of the Council. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)