The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has issued a ban on live exports to Italy over the weekend due to an expected spike in temperatures there.
In a statement, the department said that in light of European heat forecasts, road transport of live ruminants to/through Italy is prohibited from 9:00am on Saturday, August 10, to Sunday, August 11, at 9:00pm.
The department also issued a ban on live exports to or through southern areas of France and north-east Spain, Aragon and Catalunya earlier this week, valid from yesterday until further notice. An update on this is expected later today.
While a tolerance of up to 5° above that is allowed in the animal transport regulation for temperatures within vehicles, temperatures and relative humidity can be higher inside a trailer than outside, the authority warns.
The department quoted the European Commission as advising that “no long-distance transports should take place if temperatures are forecast to exceed 30°”.
In addition, exporters planning journeys that will pass through areas with ambient temperatures at time of transport of 27-30° are encouraged to adopt other measures to protect animal welfare, such as increasing the space allowance by at least 20% and/or using vehicles with fewer tiers to increase headroom.
This notice does not affect the country-specific ban on road transport of all animals throughout July and August to North Africa, Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria and Croatia; this ban remains in place, the department added.
An update will be issued on Monday, August 12, before 1:00pm.