Skip to main content
Regulation

Updating legislation on the transport of animals in the EU – Information from the Belgian, Danish, Dutch, German and Swedish delegations

By July 5th 2022July 25th, 2022No Comments

Document type Note 11061/22 from the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union to the delegations  

Authors: Belgian, Danish, Dutch, German and Swedish delegations of the Council of the EU 

 

Preview: Millions of animals are transported in the EU every day. Several well-documented incidents where animals have suffered during transportation have put such transports high on the public agenda in recent years. The political level in the EU has likewise shed light on the transport of animals; e.g. with the European Parliament's establishment of the Committee of Inquiry on the Protection of Animals during Transport.
The ministers responsible for animal welfare during transport in Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden, share the concerns of the European citizens and strongly support revising animal transport legislation in the EU.
In order to uphold focus on the protection of animals during transport in the EU, as well as to ensure that the future legislation is ambitious and in line with scientific evidence, a joint position paper for a revision of Council Regulation (EC) No. 1/2005 was sent to the Commission on 7 June 2022. The existing legislation dates back to 2005 and is in dire need of being revised. An update is necessary for the legislation to "align with the latest scientific evidence, broaden its scope, make it easier to enforce and ultimately ensure a higher level of animal welfare" as rightly stated in the Farm to Fork Strategy. The Regulation contains a number of provisions that makes it difficult to ensure that the requirements contained in the Regulation are uniformly enforced across the European Union.
In the position paper the ministers responsible for animal welfare during transport in Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden, have listed the key issues, which are found to be central in the revision of the legislation. These include journey time, definition of "economic activity", destination outside of the European Union, distance to ceilings (decks) and requirements for watering and feeding intervals. In addition, important issues such as transport in extreme temperatures are included.
The coming revision is an important window of opportunity to increase the protection of animals during transport. The signatory Member States invite the Commission and all EU Member States to consider these issues, and strongly welcome their active involvement in the development of an updated legislative framework.

From the Council of the European Union website