Document type : Written answer from the European Commission
Authors: Question: Marisa Matias (The Left), Anja Hazekamp (The Left). Answer: Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Community.
On 30 March 2021, Israeli activists recorded disturbing images of the unloading in Haifa, Israel of live animals of Portuguese origin transported from the port of Sines by the Gulf Livestock 2 vessel. The shocking images of the unloading show severely injured calves, piled up, covered in blood and in a clear state of distress. On board the ship there were more than 15 000 animals.
The vessel returned to the port of Sines on 12 April 2021, allegedly to once again embark thousands of animals. In 2017, the ship, previously called Aldelta, had been banned from Portuguese waters for the transport of live animals. In March 2021, the Portuguese authorities lifted the suspension as they understood that the problems previously detected on the Aldelta had been resolved.
The recent unloading in Israel demonstrates that the vessel was not able to operate without endangering the welfare of animals and thus is not complying with EU legislation.
1. Will the Commission therefore instruct the competent authorities in Portugal to withdraw the certificate of approval for the Gulf Livestock 2 and if not, why not?
2. What actions is the Commission planning to take to ensure that the Portuguese authorities duly enforce and comply with Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005?
Answer: The Commission has no competence to instruct the Portuguese authorities to withdraw the certificate of approval of the Gulf Livestock 2. In line with the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, Member States are primarily responsible for implementing EU animal welfare legislation. The Commission monitors that Member States are properly enforcing the legislation by checking the systems of control in place, and takes action when necessary, in particular in cases when systemic non-compliances are detected. In this regard, the Commission recently sent a letter to the competent authorities of Member States underlining that animal welfare during transport of animals is of great importance to the Commission and that official controls should be performed under the highest standards.
2. While the Commission was not aware of the alleged non-compliance in this specific case when it occurred, it has become aware that the Portuguese authorities were investigating the case. The Commission will write to the Portuguese authorities to receive an update to their investigation and detailed information on the issues specified in the current written question, to be able to decide on any necessary follow-up.
