Concern over timetable for new animal transit rules

Date: 26/10/1995

By Michael Mann

FEARS are growing that the implementation of new rules on the welfare of animals in transit could be delayed amid confusion over who is responsible for drawing up the technical standards for upgrading vehicles already on the road.

The agreement struck by EU farm ministers in June after marathon talks and an all-night negotiating session foresaw a maximum journey time of eight hours for animals transported in “standard vehicles” and the possibility of much longer journeys in specially upgraded lorries for which basic requirements were established.

Work on the standards for the new “upgraded” lorries which will be needed to transport animals on journeys of more than eight hours from 1998 has already begun inside DGIII, the Directorate-General for industry.

But a conflict over whether the same department should draw up the standards for existing vehicles or whether that should be left to DGVI, the Directorate-General for agriculture, is delaying work on a crucial area of the new legislation.

There is now a danger that ministers will be unable to respect the commitment they made in June to bring forward proposals on the technical standards for animal transport vehicles by the end of this year.

Failure to agree on the new standards within the timeframe laid down could cause problems for the animal transport industry, which will need time to adapt its vehicles to comply with the new requirements by the deadline of 1 January 1998.

A question-mark still remains over whether there should be unified standards for lorries for journeys of less than eight hours and, if so, whether a majority of existing lorries could reach such standards.

Further industry concern has been aroused by the apparent disorganisation of the consultation process. Invitations for a meeting organised by DGIII on 3 October went out so late that several of the key interests were unable to attend, industry sources claim.