Document type Written answer from the European Commission
Authors: question: Aurélia Beigneux (ID). Answer: Mrs Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission
Banning the transport of live animals during heatwaves. Question: Temperatures over 30°C, no air conditioning, journeys lasting several days, hunger, thirst, overcrowding, unsanitary conditions – that’s what animals transported during summer face. The season sees millions suffer silently on Europe’s roads, en route to the slaughterhouse. And the ordeal doesn’t end when the engine stops as, in many countries, the animals are then brutally unloaded with electric prods and sticks.
Answer: Transport of livestock under high temperatures is a complex problem of which competent authorities throughout the EU and the Commission are aware. The Commission annually reminds Member States to take precautionary measures, suspend or substantially reduce the transport of animals over long journeys during summertime, while performing checks before the journeys take place, as required by Article 14 of Regulation (EC) 1/2005 . The Commission also regularly carries out audits on Member States' compliance with Regulation 1/2005.
In light of the ongoing revision of the animal welfare legislation (announced in the Farm to Fork Strategy ), the Commission mandated the European Food Safety Authority to provide scientific opinions. An impact assessment of potential policy options is being carried out, regarding also transporting livestock during summertime.
1. The Commission will, based on the outcome of the said processes, propose provisions to manage the welfare risks associated with the transport of animals under high temperatures.
2. The new legislation will incorporate new scientific knowledge, and broaden its scope, making it more easily applied and enforced. In addition, the Commission is preparing, under the existing legal framework, tertiary legislation to improve official controls on livestock vessels, which should be adopted by the end of 2022.
