Following a proposal of several calf transport restrictions, including an export ban of calves under 35 days of age, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmer’s Association (ICSA) president Dermot Kelleher has said he is “deeply alarmed”.
The European Parliament Committee of Inquiry on the Protection of Animals during Transport (ANIT) further called for a ban on the transport of animals in the third trimester of pregnancy, and a two-hour time limit on the transport of unweaned animals over 35 days.
“This is an extreme position which, quite frankly, is a disaster for Ireland. [We are] dependent on live exports, and this will be the end of exports of dairy calves.”
The ICSA president called on all Irish MEPs to immediately build alliances with other MEPs to “get a common sense approach” and “use their positions to get this over-the-top position rolled back”.
Kelleher called on Minister McConalogue to speak to his counterparts on the EU Council of Agriculture Ministers in order to form an opposition.
“This is one of the biggest risks facing Irish farming ever to have come out of Brussels and we must use all means within our grasp to stop it.”
The ICSA president further stated that the proposed ban on any transport of cows in-calf within three months of calving is “absurd”, as many cows and in-calf heifers are sold for several reasons including “herd dispersal; reducing numbers where the farmer doesn’t have sufficient accommodation or feed; or due simply to economic necessity”.
“The reality is that these rules are being dreamed up by those who do not understand livestock farming, and the fact is that these rules will create a lot more animal welfare issues.
“Farmers need to be able to sell animals at a time which is appropriate to their farming system. If you interfere with this, there are unintended consequences,” Kelleher added.
The recommendations from the ANIT Committee are set to come before a full session of the European Parliament in January for further debate.