Millions of farm animals undergo transport over long distances in Europe for slaughter or further fattening. Journeys often last for 24-30 hours or more without a proper break for food, water or rest.
Complex rules exist in Europe in an attempt to control this trade and protect the welfare of the animals concerned. Whilst these are woefully inadequate, nevertheless a legislative framework exists to be improved upon.
EU rules governing animal welfare in transit are set down in Directive 91/628/EC, as amended by Directive 95/29/EC. This sets down EU-wide maximum journey times, feeding and watering intervals, and rest periods for animals.
Under this legislation, for example, sheep can be transported legally on journeys lasting as long as 30 hours (with a cursory 1 hour break).
EU Regulations also include provisions for enforcement such as requirements to submit detailed route plans for each authorised journey.

The long distance transport of animals for slaughter or further fattening is a hot topic in Europe. Millions of farm animals undergo transport over long distances across Europe, simply to be slaughtered or put into veal crates at the journey’s end. The animals are often packed into poorly ventilated lorries and taken on journeys lasting 24 hours or more to slaughter. Calves too have traditionally been transported over long distances. Several hundred thousand young calves each year were formerly exported from Britain to veal crates on the continent of Europe. This trade has currently ceased following fears over BSE, the so-called ‘mad cow’ disease.

Greater political and legislative integration in Europe has led to the degradation of standards for animals transported within and from Britain. Until the 1990s, British animals could be transported for slaughter or fattening for a maximum single journey time of 12 hours. Following the adoption of the ‘Single European Market’ in 1993, Britain’s rules were swept away and replaced by European rules that allowed journey intervals of 24 hours.

New rules were drawn up after the seminal UK campaign against the ‘live export trade’ in 1994-96. The resulting law, supposedly in place “for the protection of animals during transport”, amounts to little more than a live exporter’s charter to carry on taking animals on horrifically long journeys. Sheep, for example, can legally be transported for 30 hours without a proper break for food, water or rest. After a subsequent 24-hour rest period, the animals can be reloaded and taken for yet another 30 hours. In this way, British animals are often ending up in southern European countries such as Spain and Italy.

Over 1 million sheep and lambs are usually exported from the UK every year for slaughter abroad. The legislation is often flouted. Many animals sent from Britain may be subject to journeys of 40-50 hours or more to Italy, Greece and Spain.

Legal Situation

Complex rules exist in Europe in an attempt to control this trade and protect the welfare of the animals concerned. Whilst these are woefully inadequate, nevertheless, a legislative framework exists to be improved upon. Animal welfarists see the long distance transport trade in live animals as both cruel and unnecessary. After all, animals can be slaughtered at the abattoir nearest the farm of rearing, and the meat transported in chilled lorries to any destination without causing demonstrable lack of freshness.

As an island state, Britain has seen these animal journeys to other EU member states as ‘exports’. The concern remains that once animals leave British shores, they not only undergo long journeys in poor conditions, but that control over the animals’ welfare is also exported and lost. This has been demonstrated on many occasions by undercover evidence of appalling cruelty in slaughterhouses and farms to which British animals have been sent, across the European continent and beyond.

The next step must be to ensure that the current European legal framework governing animal transport is tightened up sufficiently to achieve far-reaching reforms.
Public pressure in Britain has focused on achieving a ban on live animal exports. The Government’s position is that it “would strongly prefer to see meat exported rather than live animals, since animals would not be subjected to long periods in transit.” It goes on to state what it believes as the clear legal position “that this is a legal trade and that restricting it or banning it could not be defended in law. Our policy is therefore to ensure scrupulous application of the EU rules on our territory, and, importantly, to encourage other member states to do the same.”1

EU rules governing animal welfare in transit are set down in Directive 91/628/EC, as amended by Directive 95/29/EC. These are implemented in Great Britain by the Welfare of Animals (Transport) Order 1997, known as “WATO”. This sets down EU-wide maximum journey times, feeding and watering intervals, and rest periods for animals. The Regulations also include provisions for enforcement through measures such as requirements to submit detailed route plans for each authorised journey.

The Welfare of Animals (Transport) Order 1997 – A Summary

EU Directive 91/628 EC is implemented in Great Britain by The Welfare of Animals (Transport) Order 1997 or “WATO”. This applies to the transport of all farm animals by road, sea, air and rail.

It requires all transporters carrying animals within, from or to Great Britain to be authorised in one of two ways:

“General Authorisation” for those transporting farm animals (cattle, sheep, pigs goats and horses) on journeys of less than 8 hours in road vehicles and all transport of other vertebrate species; or

“Specific Authorisations” required by those transporting farm animals and horses on journeys of 8 hours or more in road vehicles, and all journeys by sea, rail or air.
A central computer database has been set up by MAFF to monitor infringements and irregularities regarding these authorisations. This database is known as TRADE (Transporters: register of Authorisation in a Database Environment).

Maximum Journey Times

European animal welfarists have been calling for long distance animal transport to be stopped through the effective enforcement of a total maximum journey time for all animals travelling to slaughter or further fattening. The maximum advocated is 8 hours. This 8 hour maximum should refer to the total maximum journey time allowed, not the length of time animals can travel before simply being given a short stop for feed, water or rest. In other words, the transporter would need to ensure that animals went from point of origin to their final destination within the 8-hour period. No further journeys should be allowed for a minimum period of days or weeks.

The 8-hour maximum journey time has been adopted by EU legislation. However, with minimal upgrades to the standard of vehicles, transporters can qualify to take animals on much longer journeys, so long as feeding, watering and rest periods are adhered to. The provisions under WATO are given in the table below:

‘Basic Vehicles’ Journey Times All animals: a maximum of 8 hours ‘Higher Standard Vehicles’ Journey Times Unweaned calves, lambs, kids and foals which are still on a milk diet and unweaned piglets: a maximum of 9 hours, a mid journey rest of at least one hour, then a further maximum of 9 hours. Other cattle, sheep and goats: a maximum of 14 hours, a mid-journey rest of at least one hour, then a further maximum of 14 hours. Pigs other than unweaned piglets: a maximum of 24 hours with continuous access to liquid Horses other than unweaned foals (excluding registered horses): a maximum of 24 hours with liquid and if necessary, food every 8 hours Adapted from MAFF, 1999. After the maximum permitted journey time the animals must be unloaded from the vehicle and rested, fed and watered for a minimum of 24 hours. This is required to take place at an EU Approved Staging Point. Council Regulation (EC) No 1255/97 gives detailed rules on the construction, facilities and operational requirements for these staging points.

Additionally, any journey time may be extended by 2 hours if the destination can be reached within that time. So, with minimal improvements to the standard of vehicle, farm animals can be taken on much longer journeys than the apparent maximum 8 hours. For example, sheep can be transported legally on journeys lasting as long as 30 hours (with a cursory 1 hour break). A far cry from the 12-hour maximum journeys for British animals before the 1990s!
Route Plans

Route plans are required to transport farm animals on journeys exceeding 8 hours to EU member states and third countries. MAFF (1999) describe the workings of the system as follows:

“- before a journey starts, the transporter must submit a route plan, which sets out the planned journey to the Divisional Veterinary Manager (DVM) responsible for the area in which the journey starts. The route plan is to show that the transporter has planned the journey properly; the DVM will check the details, taking up any concerns with the transporter, and, when satisfied that the route plan appears to meet the requirements of WATO, will stamp and sign the plan to establish it as the original and send it to the LVI [Local Veterinary Inspector] for issue to the transporter with the export health certificate.”1
This journey plan then accompanies the animals on their journey. Details of the actual journey taken are required to be filled in by the person responsible for the animals. Finished route plans have to be signed and returned to the DVM when the journey is completed.
Competence.

Where farm animals are transported on journeys longer than 8 hours, the persons accompanying the animals are required to have a signed certificate of competence obtained either by obtaining a MAFF-approved qualification or through an assessment of practical experience. Independent assessment of competence is not necessarily required. Employers can simply assess their own staff. The effectiveness of this measure must therefore be called into question.

Vehicle Standards

The vehicle standards referred to by WATO for the transport of farm animals for longer than 8 hours are laid down in Council Regulation (EC) 411/98. This stipulates regulations providing for bedding, food, water, ventilation, and ensuring that the animals are partitioned correctly within the vehicle. The British Government concedes the inadequacy of these standards, stating that it “is not satisfied that these new standards are high enough to protect animal welfare properly during transport, particularly in relation to ventilation. We shall continue the fight for the highest standards when these are discussed again in Brussels” (MAFF, 1999).

Evidence of Suffering in Transport

Standards of welfare and care for farm animals in some European countries are notoriously low. After the long journeys, the animals can arrive exhausted, dehydrated and suffering from stress. Some may be injured or dead on arrival. Many British animals are transported as far as Greece, Italy and Spain, where slaughter methods are all too often cruel and illegal.
A 1993 Report by the European Commission stated that European laws on feeding and watering animals in transit are “systematically flouted”. Recent Commission reports on standards in several EU countries conclude that welfare laws during transport are widely ignored.

Researchers at Bristol University in the UK concluded; “transport is a stressful process involving psychological and physical stress”2. Many hours of investigative footage by European animal welfare groups testify to the fact that, despite seemingly elaborate legal rules to ‘protect’ transported animals, enormous suffering remains widespread.
Welfarists will continue to press for the slaughter of all farm animals, including poultry, to be carried out as near as possible to the farm of origin.

References

MAFF, 1999. Website: www.maff.gov.uk/animalh/welfare/default.htm Animal Welfare – Transport. 07/07/00.

Knowles, TG, Warriss PD, Brown, SN, Kestin, SC, Edwards, JE, Perry, AM, Watkins, PE, & Phillips, AJ, 1996. Effects of feeding, watering and resting intervals on lambs transported by road and ferry to France. Veterinary Record, 5th October 1996.