The European Parliament adopted by 555 votes to 56,
with 34 abstentions, a resolution on the protection of animals
during transport.
An
alternative motion for resolution, tabled by the Greens/EFA and
GUE/NGL was rejected in plenary by 421 votes to 226, with 15
abstentions.
The
adopted resolution takes note of the
Commission report presenting the state of implementation of Council
Regulation (EC) No 1/2005, which contains the conclusion that the
Regulation has had a positive impact on the welfare of animals
during transport, but notes that severe problems during animal
transport persist, due mainly to poor compliance and implementation
in the Member States.
Parliament calls on the Commission:
- to ensure an effective and uniform enforcement of
existing EU legislation on animal transport across all Member
States and to adopt measures to secure full and uniform monitoring
of adherence to the transport conditions;
- to present a full evaluation of all the economic,
environmental and social costs and benefits incurred by the
transport of animals, including a comparison between the
transport of animals for slaughter and the transport of carcasses
and food products, as well as the effect of transport on the price
of meat products, paying particular attention to the outermost
regions and involving all stakeholders;
- to implement an extensive consumer information
campaign on the subject of the European regulations on animal
welfare, providing continuous information on the changes being
required of European producers for the purposes of raising the
profile of their work and improving the added value of their
production;
- to propose a considerably shortened maximum journey
limit for all movements of horses for slaughter, and insists
furthermore on a thorough, science-based review of welfare
standards for horses, if necessary accompanied by legislative
proposals, including a reconsideration of vehicle design standards,
space allowances and water provision;
- to demand, in its bilateral trade negotiations with
third countries, implementation of the EU’s animal welfare
rules and to defend the internationalisation, within the
framework of the World Trade Organisation, of the Community
provisions on the subject;
- to make legislative proposals before 1 January 2014,
aimed at creating an EU-wide common framework for data
collection and control through satellite navigation, based on
the uploading of data in real time;
- to undertake research into how new and existing
technology can be applied in livestock vehicles to regulate,
monitor and register temperature and humidity, which are
essential elements for controlling and protecting the welfare of
specific categories of animals during transport;
- to increase the number of unannounced Food and
Veterinary Office (FVO) spot inspections focused on animal
welfare and the transport of animals;
- to ensure that veterinary controls on animals
to be transported take place at the end of their
transport.
Parliament acknowledges Written Declaration No
49/2011 of 30 November 2011 supporting an eight-hour journey
limit for animals to be slaughtered, but recognises that such a
demand alone has no scientific basis and that animal welfare during
transport in some instances depends more on proper vehicle
facilities and on the proper handling of animals. It, nevertheless,
asks the Commission and the Member States to lay down guidelines
for best practice with a view to improving the implementation
of Regulation (EC) No 1/2005, and to reinforce control mechanisms
in order to guarantee animal welfare.
The report insists on a reconsideration of the
issue of limiting the transport time of animals destined for
slaughter to eight hours taking account of loading time,
irrespective of whether this takes place on land or at sea, with
some exceptions taking into account geographic conditions in the
outermost regions, provided that it is confirmed by scientific
research results and that the rules on animal welfare are complied
with. Members point out that it should be possible to extend
transport times, in the event of unforeseeable transport
delays (traffic jams, breakdowns, accidents, diversions, force
majeure, etc), while complying with animal welfare
principles.
The Member States, for their part, are called
on:
- to strengthen controls across the entire production
chain in order to halt practices that infringe the Regulation
and worsen the conditions for the transport of animals, such as
allowing overstocked vehicles to continue their journeys, or
permitting control posts with inadequate facilities for resting,
feeding and watering the animals to continue in use;
- to introduce effective, proportionate and dissuasive
sanctions for infringements of the Regulation, pursuant to
Article 25 thereof.
Drawing attention to the differing levels of penalties
and sanctions for the same infringement in different Member States,
Members call for a greater harmonisation of sanctions across
the EU to ensure better enforcement of the Regulation. The
Commission is requested to present, before 1 July 2013, a report
analysing the penalties for serious infringements relating to
animal welfare in road transport in all Member States, comparable
to its report on penalties in the area of social rules in road
transport.