Animal welfare laws are ‘flouted continuously in EU’, say activists

Date: 19/09/02

By David Cronin

EVIDENCE showing that pigs were transported for 90 hours without once leaving their lorry indicates that EU rules on live transports are being routinely flouted, animal welfare activists have claimed.

Earlier this year several qualified inspectors from British and Dutch animal protection societies followed a Hungarian truck carrying 500 fattening pigs and 24 heifers between the Netherlands and Greece.

Their report records that the cattle were only off-loaded from the vehicle for six-and-a-half hours during the 90-hour journey. At least 40 pigs died.

The account, likely to form the basis of a formal complaint to the European Commission, is accompanied by video footage showing that the animals became highly agitated during the trip.

As the truck was waiting to board a ferry 55 hours after the pigs had been loaded, the activists observed: 'The piglets are very restless.

'They are squealing and biting at each other. We note that the piglets and cattle do not have access to drinking water.'

David Wilkins, Brussels-based director for the Eurogroup for Animal Welfare, said the research demonstrated that a 1995 EU directive on transports was being contravened.

'Long distance transport, particularly of animals for slaughter, is open to abuse and it is abused,' he added. 'The rules are being continuously flouted.'

Existing laws state that animals in a standard lorry

can only be transported for eight hours. Specially designed vehicles are not, however, subject to any journey time limit but are required to unload the animals at an authorised staging post after 24-29 hours on the road, depending on the type of animals involved.

Their transporters are then required to let the animals rest for 24 hours before taking off again.

The Eurogroup is urging the Commission to seek a revision of the transports directive so that it becomes more stringent.

The campaigners want an absolute limit of eight hours or 500 kilometres on all road journeys of animals going for slaughter or fattening.

Wilkins is also calling on the Commission to take legal action against member states failing to enforce the directive.

Beate Gminder, the Commission's animal welfare spokeswoman, said that while ensuring the directive is upheld is a matter for national authorities, the institution would take infringement action against poor enforcers if this is 'deemed appropriate'.

'The Commissioner [David Byrne] has said again and again that the current rules have to be enforced,' she said.

'Some member states are reluctant to go further, while animal welfare NGOs want stronger rules. We're talking to both sides and revision of the directive is a priority.'

A report by inspectors from British and Dutch animal protection societies indicates that EU rules on live transports are being routinely flouted, animal welfare activists have claimed.