Despite the insistence of the European Parliament and the Netherlands, the European Commission does not intend to ban the controversial transports of live animals to countries outside the EU.
This is evident from a leaked proposal that will be presented on Wednesday. “The transport of live animals is an essential part of the agri-food chain,” the Commission writes. Additional conditions are imposed. Because: ‘The protection of animals during transport (…) influences how people view agricultural products (…) and has a positive effect on the health of the animals and therefore also on the quality of the products.’
For example, in the future, there will always have to be someone on board who looks after the welfare of the animals. Anja Hazekamp of the Party for the Animals mockingly calls this an ‘animal welfare worker’. What will it do in practice? The MEP has observed various animal transports in recent years and calls the leaked proposal ‘very disappointing’. According to the new rules, even if it is colder than -5 degrees, animals can still be transported for up to nine hours at a time, says Hazekamp. “As long as they get a blanket. Who is going to enforce that?”
In Brussels it is pointed out that the proposal creates a uniform set of rules for all EU countries. If the European Parliament or the 27 Member States want the rules to be stricter, they are free to propose that in the negotiations in the coming months, that is what they say there.
The Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg pleaded in 2021 for a ban on long-distance transport of live animals and for the switch to trade in meat, carcasses and genetic (breeding) material. France, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Portugal, Romania and Spain favor a ban not to sit. These countries transport the most live animals – from Romania, for example, sheep to the Middle East – and earn a lot of money doing so. In total, more than 1.4 billion animals are transported in the EU every year.
‘Pathetic animal policy’
In the House of Representatives got At the beginning of this year, a motion to stop transport over shorter distances and broad support, including that of the PVV. Caroline van der Plas recently mentioned that ‘pathetic animal policy’ as one of the first program points that Geert Wilders should drop if he wants to govern with the BBB. Gert-Jan Oplaat, Member of the Senate of the BBB, is chairman of the European umbrella organization of poultry farmers.
Cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, poultry and horses are often transported across national borders because different countries and regions are often specialized in one animal species or stage of production. During these transports, the animals have to deal with stress, heat, cold and a lack of space. The European Court of Auditors concluded this year that more than a third of transports take longer than permitted, and that transporters often do not adhere to EU animal welfare standards.
The improvements in the European Commission’s proposal must mainly be sought in the details. Calves younger than five weeks and weighing less than 50 kilos may not be transported, nor can lambs younger than three weeks, unless the distance is less than 50 kilometers, it says, for example. The minimum age for calves to be transported is currently ten days. And the loading ramp of ships may not be steeper than 20 degrees for cows, pigs and horses, and no steeper than 26 degrees for sheep and goats.
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2023-12-05 02:00:29
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