European NGOs are urging the European Union to ban the export of live farmed animals outside its borders, while the Commission must present in a few days a proposal to improve their protection during transport. The European Commission was to propose by the end of the year a revision of the rules on animal welfare (breeding conditions, transport, slaughter, labeling). But ultimately, only the presentation of a proposal on the “protection of animals during transport” is scheduled, a priori on December 6.
“The European Union must tackle this problem urgently”
“The transnational nature of live animal exports makes it particularly difficult to protect their welfare, and this is why we call for a ban on live animal exports to third EU countries,” underlines in a press release published Tuesday evening Reineke Hameleers, general director of the NGO coalition Eurogroup for Animals. She suggests exporting meat and carcasses rather than live animals.
“The European Union must tackle this problem urgently,” says the director of the CIWF France association, Yvan Savy, who also calls for “strict new rules” concerning the transport of animals within the EU, particularly for unweaned calves and lambs and pregnant females. The organizations published a report based on official records, which they say are “incomplete, often inaccurate” and which “largely underestimate the length and duration of many transports”.
“Even though we knew that millions of animals were undergoing cruel and unnecessary journeys in the name of profit, this report shows that the situation is much worse than we feared,” says Yvan Savy. The document notes in particular that in 2022, “the EU exported around 30,000 heifers [vaches n’ayant pas encore eu de veau] pregnant women, mainly to Central and Western Asia, such as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, where journeys can reach 6,000 km and last up to three weeks.