WRITTEN QUESTION E-3971/00

by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission

(20 December 2000)

Subject: Transport of live farm animals

With regard to the enforcement by the Commission of legislation intended to safeguard the welfare of farm animals being transported within the EU, can it indicate, for each of the past five years:

1. (a) the budget sought by the Commission to fund the work of inspectors to ensure compliance with the legislation?

(b) the sum actually spent by the Commission on inspections?

2. whether it is seeking a greater allocation of funds to enable it to step up its activities in this field?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(26 March 2001)

With regard to enforcement by the Commission of Community legislation to safeguard the welfare of animals being transported within the EU, inspections are carried out by inspectors from the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO), which is a Directorate of the Health and Consumer Protection Directorate General.

The Commission does not have a specific budget to fund the work of inspectors in enforcing Community legislation on the transport of live farm animals. Inspections are financed through the Commission's budget and are made up of staff salary and travel and subsistence allowances for inspectors and Member State experts who participate in the inspections.

Currently four inspectors from FVO are employed exclusively to carry out inspections on animal welfare, including transport of live animals. Animal welfare also forms part of the wider inspection activities of the FVO. For instance, FVO inspections of Community border inspection posts take into account aspects such as the staffing and facilities provided to ensure that animals are examined for fitness for import. Route plans are also verified during these missions. In addition to public health issues, the FVO inspections of abattoirs include aspects of animal welfare during transport. It is therefore not possible to isolate readily the costs associated with animal welfare missions from other missions.

In 2000, ten FVO missions were specifically dedicated to animal welfare issues. This compares with seven missions in the same field in 1999. Six of the missions in 2000 featured controls of animal transport. In addition, two missions were carried out in December 2000 by the FVO to check the operation of the controls for the export refunds for live cattle, including compliance with the requirements for animal transport.

Given the range of FVO responsibilities, especially those on food safety and animal health, there are no immediate plans to further increase the resources allocated within the FVO to the animal welfare area. Any further increase could only be accommodated through corresponding reductions in other priority areas.

In addition to the above, under budget line B1-331 other measures in the veterinary, animal welfare and public-health field, it is planned to commit around 700 000 for the animal welfare area during 2001. Of this, 400 000 is intended for a certain number of studies related to the protection of animals during

transport and 300 000 for a socio-economic study based on the provisions of Council Directive 1999/74/EC of 19 July 1999, on the protection of laying hens(1). Prior to 2001 no specific commitments on this budget line or its predecessors have been made for actions (i.e. projects or studies) related specifically to animal welfare.

(1) OJ L 203, 3.8.1999.