WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2149/98 by Honor FUNK to the Commission. Transport of live animals
Date: 1998-07-13
Institutions: European Parliament, FUNK
Subjects: animal welfare, application of EU law, cattle, commercial vehicle, export refund, live animal, protection of animals, technical standard, transport of animals

C 297/6

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

15.10.1999

(1999/C 297/008)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2149/98

by Honor Funk (PPE) to the Commission

(13 July 1998)

Subject: Transport of live animals

The chairman of the animal protection society has claimed that the EU has done nothing to alleviate suffering
in the transport of live animals.

Is it true that every day animals for slaughter are transported long distances under cruel conditions to

1.
third countries, where there are no checks on whether EU criteria are satisfied?

Can the Commission indicate whether animals being transported long distances are now cared for

2.
appreciably better than was the case when evidence of cruel practices was documented on film?

3.

Is the transport of meat supported with higher subsidies than the transport of live animals?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(22 September 1998)

Council directives on the protection of animals during transport have existed since 1977. The latest
comprehensive update took place with the adoption of Council Directive 95/29/EC of 29 June 1995
amending Directive 90/628/EEC concerning the protection of animals during transport (1).

Council Regulation (EC) 411/98 of 16 February 1998 on additional animal protection standards applicable to
road vehicles used for the carriage of livestock on journeys exceeding eight hours (2); and Commission
Regulation (EC) 615/98 of 18 March 1998 laying down specific detailed rules of application for the export
refund arrangements as regards the welfare of live bovine animals during transport (3) provide for better
implementation of the current Directive and further proposals are in course of preparation. Although
implementation of the relevant texts by the Member States has not always been uniformly satisfactory, the
Commission takes the view that a substantial improvement of the welfare of protected animals has been
achieved.

The Community can not legislate directly with regard to the welfare conditions of livestock transported
beyond the territory of the Community. However, in order to increase the degree of protection to cattle
transported to third countries, at the end of last year the Council adopted a proposal from the Commission,
under which the payment of export refunds will be subject to compliance with the provisions on the
protection of animals during transport (Regulation (EC) 2634/97 (4)). Implementing rules have since been
adopted by the Commission in March 1998 (Regulation (EC) 615/98 (3)). Important elements are that each
consignment of cattle will be checked when leaving the Community by the authority of the Member State of
exit. Furthermore, checks will be carried out at arrival in the third country when there are grounds for
suspecting breaches of the rules and on consignments of cattle selected by the exporting Member State on the
basis of risk analysis. These rules will apply from 1 September 1998. The Commission is confident that for the
future the new rules will achieve a substantial improvement in the transport of exported Community livestock.

Export refunds for beef and live animals are fixed at least every three months and published in the Official
journal. The export refund paid on beef is differentiated. The rate of refund varies according to destination. The
present refund level paid for live animals other than pure-bred breeding animals to the destinations with the
highest refunds are ECU 52 per 100 kilograms live weight for male cattle and ECU 22,5 per 100 kilograms live
weight for female cattle, while for fresh meat of male adult bovine animals the refund rate is ECU 110,5 per
100 kilograms carcase weight.

(1) OJ L 148, 30.6.1995.
(2) OJ L 52, 21.2.1998.
(3) OJ L 82, 19.3.1998.
(4) OJ L 356, 31.12.1997.