Document type : Written answer from the European Commission
Authors: Question: Francisco Guerreiro (Greens/EFA). Answer: Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission
Question: Animal welfare during transport to third countries
Shipments of live animals from the EU to third countries continue to increase every year, despite their obvious and inherent breaches of animal welfare. The number of calves and lambs shipped to Israel for fattening and slaughter in the first six months of 2021 was 59 % higher than for the same period last year. Of these 80 shipments, 35 came from Portugal and 21 from Romania.
The ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an example of an even more critical scenario than usual for European animals that are transported all the way to Israel. When sending animals to third countries, checks on the conditions in which animals are transported, kept and slaughtered will always be difficult to assess. This situation worsens when a country is in conflict or at war.
- Has the Commission warned Member States that the export of Has the Commission warned Member States that exporting live animals to Israel since the latest outbreak of violence in May 2021 might worsen the welfare of animals, impacting for example waiting times in ports?
- Has the Commission recommended that Member States prohibit the export of live animals to third countries if there are conflicts or war situations there?
Answer: At present, the Commission is not aware of challenges related to waiting times in the ports of Israel. The subject on animal welfare during transport has been discussed during the 14th EU-Israel Subcommittee meeting on ‘Agriculture and Fisheries’ on 2 June 2021. The Israeli delegation provided an update and confirmed the competent authorities’ commitment to improve the animal welfare on imports of live animals to Israel. Both sides agreed to keep close contact and to exchange information in case of challenges related to animal welfare during transport.
Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport does not provide for a prohibition of the export of animals to third countries in cases of conflicts or war situations. However, the regulation requires Member States' competent authorities to verify that the arrangements proposed by the organiser are sufficient to ensure compliance with the requirements set out in the regulation until the final destination. Therefore, Member States’ competent authorities may decide not to approve a journey if the guarantees provided by the organiser for ensuring the animal welfare until the place of destination are not sufficient.
