Document type: article published by Eurogroup for Animals
Authors: Eurogroup for Animals
Preview: The announcement follows more than a year of sustained international campaigning by Compassion in World Farming, Ethical Farming Ireland, WELFARM, FOUR PAWS, L214, Eyes on Animals, Eurogroup for Animals, Southampton Animal Action and Dorset Animal Action.
Brittany Ferries was at the centre of controversy after in March of 2025, it resumed the transportation of live farmed animals from Ireland to France, reversing a policy of 30 years. On these journeys, calves are kept inside trucks for an 18-hour ferry crossing, exposed to prolonged hunger, distress and lifetime health consequences. Following the crossing, some were transported onwards to Netherlands, Spain and Poland, with journeys lasting up to 50 hours.
The transport of unweaned calves is in direct breach of the EU Transport Regulation, noted by a European Commission audit. Since its decision to resume transport, animal protection organisations coordinated campaigns, collected over 100,000 signatures from citizens and held regular demonstrations in Ireland, France and the UK. The NGO coalition also met with the company several times asking for an end to the practice, until the company finally listened.
In a survey released in January, 82% of EU citizens expressed concern about the transport of very young and unweaned animals, with only 22% convinced that current protections were adequate.
This news is a landmark victory for animals that shows the power of mobilising NGOs and citizens, while it sends a clear message to EU policy-makers who are negotiating the revision of the EU’s 20-year-old animal transport legislation.
Irish Ferries is now the only operator continuing the trade from Ireland to France, and animal protection organisations call on the company to urgently follow suit.
Animal protection organisations urge the EU to prohibit the transport of unweaned animals over long distances, introduce strict journey-time limits and replace the export of live animals for slaughter and fattening with a trade in meat and carcasses.
Over 60,000 citizens have already signed an open letter asking policy-makers to ensure that a revised EU legislation adequately protects animals during transport.
