Some of the proposed changes to animal transport rules that are facing a crunch vote in the European Parliament today (Thursday, January 20) “would discriminate against Ireland”, one Irish MEP has claimed.
Speaking to EuroParlRadio, Ireland South MEP Seán Kelly has said that the proposals do not take into account Ireland’s circumstances as an island, and the additional time and logistics that are needed to move animals across water.
“Some of the proposals would actually discriminate against Ireland, because they more or less treat Europe as one entity and do not allow for the fact that we are an island off the coast of Europe,” Fine Gael MEP Kelly said.
“We transport animals to the European Continent, and obviously that takes a lot of time.”
The proposals from the parliament’s Committee of Inquiry on the Protection of Animals during Transport include a complete ban on the transport of unweaned animals under 35 days of age; a maximum journey time of two hours for unweaned animals over 35 days; and a ban on the transport of pregnant animals in the last third of gestation.
The animal transport proposals will apply within member states as well as between them. In other words, unweaned calves under 35 days of age would not be able to be transported off-farm.
This has raised concerns from some Irish MEPs and farmer representatives that these proposals would in fact worsen animal welfare conditions rather than improve them.
A number of amendments are proposed to lessen the impact of these proposals, and these will also be voted on this morning.
These amendments include a reduction in the age under which unweaned animals can’t be transported – reducing the ban on transport from 35 days of age down to 28 (five weeks down to four).
This amendment would also permit the transport of unweaned animals below that age if the farmers themselves carry out the transport, and if the distance is less than 50km.
A second amendment would allow the transport of animals in the last third of gestation where the travel time is less than four hours.
The results of these votes in the European Parliament will be known at around midday today.
Stay tuned to Agriland for further coverage…