Ethical Farming Ireland (EFI) has formally submitted a complaint to the European Commission on how the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has infringed EU law regarding the transport of unweaned calves.
This infringement, Ethical Farming Ireland has said, is with regards to “approving the transportation of unweaned calves from Ireland to continental Europe in ways that breach Regulation 1/2005”.
The complaint, which is dated January 14, 2024, states that “Ireland should not approve journey logs for journeys that they know will be carried out in breach of Regulation 1/2005 due to the failure to feed the unweaned calves during the roll-on roll-off ferry journey”.
Article 3 of Regulation 1/2005 states that water, feed and rest are to be offered to the animals at suitable intervals and are appropriate in quality and quantity to their species and size.
In a letter dated January 17, the complaint that was lodged by the EFI was registered by the European Commission, with the group set to be informed of the findings and of any steps taken concerning their complaint by the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety.
Transport of unweaned calves
EFI has previously submitted formal complaints to the Commission regarding Irish Ferries and Stena Line being permitted by the Irish authorities to transport unweaned calves, despite there being “no facilities on the ferry to feed unweaned calves”.
In separate letters sent to Stena Line and Irish Ferries, both dated January 8, 2024, EFI stated that the “stance” of both ferry companies is to be “complicit in a cruel trade that is being conducted unlawfully”.
EFI added that “it is time” that both companies “take a stand,” as “the Commission itself has confirmed the export of unweaned calves from Ireland is unlawful”.
Where the Irish authorities are “breaching legislation,” according to the EFI, is how “calves are not given liquid feed on the roll-on roll-off vessel” which is “contrary to the legal requirements of feeding intervals laid down” in the regulation.
EU audit
In 2022, an audit of Ireland was carried out remotely from June 7 to 8, June 14 to 17, and on-the-spot from June 9 to 13 as part of the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety work programme.
The findings of the audit to evaluate the protection of unweaned calves during long journeys were recently published in December 2023.
The on-the-spot audit included a visit to two assembly centres, where the consignments of calves for long distance journeys to other member states are assembled.
The audit team also visited one port from which roll-on-roll-off ferries load livestock
vehicles, one vessel used to transport livestock vehicles from Ireland to mainland Europe, and one transporter’s premises.
The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the official controls on the protection of unweaned calves (still on a milk diet) during long journeys.
The audit concluded that the welfare of unweaned calves during long journeys is a high priority for Ireland.
However, the European Commission referred to “gaps in the system” in the audit towards “the absence of enforcement regarding the requirement to feed unweaned calves on the roll-on roll-off vessel”.
The audit states that this is due “to the Irish interpretation that this is only needed if its absence causes injury or undue suffering to the animal, which leads to these animals not being fed during
journeys lasting 19 hours or more”.
The European Commission acknowledged that they have “received several official complaints against Ireland in recent years about the transport of unweaned calves for long journeys from Ireland.
“Although the Commission has not audited animal welfare controls on the transport of unweaned calves in Ireland within the last 10 years, it has regularly contacted Ireland when concerned about some of the allegations in those complaints.
In each of these cases, the European Commission stated that “Ireland informed the Commission about the measures it was applying to address these concerns”.