Document type: from the European Commission to Question E-004785/2025
Authors: : Emma Fourreau (The Left). Answer: Mr. Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission
Question:On March 26, Brittany Ferries resumed transporting cattle from Rosslare (Ireland) to Cherbourg (France), including unweaned calves traveling in appalling conditions, crammed into livestock trucks without being able to rest, drink, or eat. European Regulation (EC) No. 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport and related operations stipulates that unweaned calves must be given a break after nine hours of transport to rest, drink, and eat.
In May 2025, the Commission noted that “during journeys involving long ferry crossings, calves are not fed at the required intervals.” The transport of calves between Ireland and France therefore violates European animal welfare legislation.
What does the Commission plan to do regarding:
1. sanctions against transport companies that fail to comply with the legislation on rest periods for unweaned calves?
2. improving inspections to ensure compliance with animal transport legislation?
3. banning the transport of unweaned animals?
Answer:The welfare of unweaned calves during long-distance transport, including by roll-on/roll-off ships from Ireland to France, remains a matter of concern for the Commission, the Member States, and the general public. The audit report on Ireland conducted by the Commission in 2022[1] confirmed that unweaned calves are not fed on board roll-on/roll-off ships, as required by Regulation (EC) No. 1/2005[2], which constitutes a violation of current rules.
The Commission will continue to use the tools at its disposal to ensure full compliance with this requirement. This includes closely monitoring the efforts made by the Irish authorities to address the identified shortcomings and fully comply with Regulation (EC) No 1/2005. The information provided by the authorities demonstrates the efforts made to develop an automated feeding system for calves during ferry crossings.
The Commission’s legislative proposal for a regulation on the protection of animals during transport[3] provides for stricter rules that are also intended to facilitate better enforcement through clearer provisions and more harmonized penalties. The proposal better defines which of the parties involved bears the legal consequences of infringements. This proposal is currently being reviewed by the co-legislators. With regard to the transport of unweaned animals, based on scientific opinions provided by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)[4], the proposal establishes stricter rules for the transport of young animals and clear requirements for feeding calves milk or milk replacer at specified intervals, as well as for the use of automatic feeding systems during long-distance journeys.
[1] Audit Number: 2022 — 7503: https://ec.europa.eu/food/audits-analysis/audit-report/details/4700.
[2] Council Regulation (EC) No. 1/2005 of December 22, 2004, on the protection of animals during transport and related operations and amending Directives 64/432/EEC and 93/119/EC and Regulation (EC) No. 1255/97 (OJ L 3, Jan. 5, 2005, p. 1).
[3] Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of animals during transport and related operations, amending Council Regulation (EC) No. 1255/97 and repealing Regulation (EC) No. 1/2005 (COM(2023) 770 final).
[4] https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2022.7442.
From the European Parliament website
