Approximately 70% of all calves transported from Ireland to neighbouring EU member states are less than five weeks-of-age, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has said.
A minimum age of five weeks for calf transport to Europe as it was proposed by the European Commission would “exclude” most of the animals currently transported from Ireland.
The proposals would also see a minimum weight of 50kg for unweaned calves to be transported, and a maximum journey of nine hours for animals transported for slaughter.
Changes to EU rules for animals in transport, as well as new rules on the welfare of dogs and cats, are part of the commission’s intention to revise current legislation on animal welfare.
Calves transported from Ireland
Ireland supports the reform of the rules on animal welfare during transport, but has some “key areas of concern”, the DAFM said in a document laid before the Oireachtas.
The DAFM reiterated that new transport rules must take into account Ireland’s “unique” geographical circumstances, and the right of Irish businesses to have full access to the single market.
Any measures that “threaten” Ireland’s market access and place Irish farmers at a disadvantage in regard to EU farmers are likely to meet “strong opposition” from Irish farming sectors, the DAFM said.
New rules must also take into account “Ireland’s acknowledged positive track record in relation to the animal welfare outcomes of animals traded by sea to other member states”, the DAFM said.
In the document the DAFM also states that the proposal to require feeding of calves on milk replacer during transport is “risky and does not appear evidence based”.
“A recently developed system for feeding calves during transport is presented in the text as ‘an effective system’. So far this has not been used widely in Europe to our knowledge,” the DAFM said.
It is used in Germany for feeding electrolytes to calves during transport due to the experience of transporters and calf rearers that calves are at risk of severe diarrhoea with pain, colic and dehydration if fed milk replacer, according to the DAFM.
“There is some scientific evidence that calves fed with electrolyte solutions during transport experience better outcomes than those fed with milk replacer during transport.
“Further research is needed before adopting such a measure as a legal requirement,” the DAFM said in its submission to the Oireachtas on the proposed new EU animal transport rules.
“Similarly, a proposal to allow calves to remain in the same truck for up to 36 hours, and be fed up to four times, may result in dirty unsanitary bedding and poor air quality,” the DAFM said.
Live exports to third countries
The DAFM is currently putting procedures in place to increase the frequency at which consignments to third countries are accompanied by an official vet, with expertise in transport by sea.
More training of official vets new to this area to increase the pool of expert vets available to accompany these consignments is planned over the coming months.
The update was provided by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, who said that the number of consignments to third countries is currently “relatively low”.
New EU rules on ships exporting livestock introduced this year require that an official vet travels on board the first voyage with livestock to a third country after a ship approval inspection, he said.
The DAFM monitors compliance through a system of official controls, including advance checks of paperwork and veterinary checks of the livestock vessel and of all animals before they travel.
A DAFM official vet boards the vessel before and after loading and is also present during the loading process to ensure that animal welfare standards are maintained, he said.
“It is important to clarify at the outset that my department only permits animals to be transported in compliance with the EU’s animal welfare legislation,” the minister said.