The European Veterinary Federation (EFV) highlights the urgent need for respect the welfare of animals during transportupdate existing legislation and improve cross-border collaboration.
It should be noted that the FVE requests a immediate interventionas several incidents occurred on the Bulgaria-Turkey border, where livestock were blocked from entering Turkey due to disease and, following their attempt to return to the EU, Bulgarian authorities refused re-entry. As a result, the cows faced a Prolonged deprivation of food, water, and veterinary carea situation that led to horrible conditions before some died and others were euthanized.
“These repeated tragedies highlight systemic failures in regulations on cross-border transport of animals that are causing serious suffering to animals and putting animal welfare standards at risk throughout the EU,” the FVE explains.
Likewise, they point out that these cases expose the serious limitations of EU live animal transport rules, especially in border transport areas, where different veterinary regulations and protocols leave animals vulnerable to abandonment. “While ongoing legislative efforts are welcomed, current provisions do not adequately protect animals during transport. The FVE reiterates its call to urgently review the Regulation (EC) nº 1/2005 of the Council to uphold fundamental animal welfare standards and provide a humane framework for the transport of animals,” they emphasize.
These recommendations emphasize that animals should be transported as little as possible and advocate for urgent improvements in transport regulation, including: trip criteria update (any movement inherently introduces stress and health risks, so limiting travel duration is essential to prevent suffering, especially in vulnerable animals); standards for improving conditions (Animals should be provided with food and water, rest intervals, sufficient space and appropriate conditions, including species-specific temperature controls to maintain well-being during transit. Space allocations should be updated based on the latest scientific evidence) ; enforce veterinary supervision (the mandatory presence of a veterinarian during loading and unloading of hazardous transports are essential measures to ensure compliance with welfare standards); restrict export to countries with known welfare standards (when traveling to third countries where welfare cannot be guaranteed, the export of live animals should be minimized and instead opt to transport carcasses or genetic material); protocol harmonization (simplify regulatory frameworks, clarify documentation and harmonize sanctions to achieve consistent application across countries and reduce bureaucratic delays).
“The FVE recognizes that such incidents are due to failures not only within the jurisdiction of the EU but also in the bilateral application with third countries. Competent authorities must work collaboratively to enforce higher welfare standards and avoid prolonged suffering at border crossings,” the organization observes. In addition, “The FVE wishes to reiterate that animals must be raised as close as possible to the facilities where they are born and slaughtered as close as possible to the place of production.
Finally, “FVE strongly urges the European Parliament and the Council to prioritize the modification of Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 to effectively safeguard animal welfare and align with the latest scientific knowledge, guaranteeing a humane system for the millions of animals transported annually”.
