Document type : European Parliament press release
Author: Gediminas Vilkas
Preview: - EU rules on animal transport are outdated, misleading and poorly enforced
- New update and more political will is needed
- Limit transport time, increase animals' comfort and control exports more tightly
After 18 months of fact-finding, MEPs call on EU countries to respect animal welfare during transport and to transition to transporting meat and not live animals.
Parliament's inquiry, set up in June 2020 to investigate alleged violations of EU animal transport rules, concluded that EU provisions in this area are not always complied with in member states and do not fully take into account the different needs of animals. The most obvious violations include lack of headroom, water or food supply for transported animals, animals being shipped when they are unfit for transport, and overcrowding. Inappropriate vehicles are used, and transport sometimes take place under extreme temperatures and extended journey times.
To remedy the situation, MEPs adopted recommendations on Thursday with 557 votes to 55 and 78 abstentions. They call on the Commission and EU countries to step up their efforts to respect animal welfare during transport, update EU rules and appoint an EU commissioner responsible for animal welfare.
Press release that led to :
- an article in Le Monde on 20 January 2022: Le Parlement européen se prononce en faveur de timides mesures encadrant le transport des animaux
- a news item on the CIWF France website on 20 January 2022: Transport des animaux : le Parlement européen échoue totalement
- a news item on the Welfarm website on 21 February 2021: Transport d'animaux vivants: le Parlement européen laisse les animaux sur le bas-côté
