PURPOSE : to establish rules for the transport of animals taking place in connection with an economic activity.
LEGISLATIVE ACT : Council Regulation 1/2005/EC on the protection of animals during transport and related operations and amending Directives 64/432/EEC and 93/119/EC and Regulation 1255/97/EC.
CONTENT : This Regulation applies to the transport of live vertebrate animals carried out within the Community, including the specific checks to be carried out by officials on consignments entering or leaving the customs territory of the Community.
The Council adopted this Regulation by qualified majority. The Danish delegation voted against it, while the delegations from Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Sweden abstained. The majority of the amendments adopted by the European Parliament and accepted by the Commission became part of the Regulation. In particular, two amendments were introduced regarding, on the one hand, the review clause (the Commission's report will take into account the socio-economic implications of the Regulation, the implementation of the satellite navigation system and scientific evidence on welfare needs of animals) and on the other hand provisions regarding transport by farmers of their own animals for sale: the administrative requirements will not be applied to this category of transporters on a maximum journey of 65 km (instead of 50km) between the point of departure and the destination.
The new rules aim to ensure that animals will not be transported in a way likely to cause injury or undue suffering to them.
The Regulation applies not only to transporters but also to other categories of operators such as farmers, traders, assembly centres and slaughterhouses. It aims to improve the following aspects:
- conditions applicable to transporters making long journeys;
- the length of the journey and the space available for the animals;
- training of personnel;
- assembly centres must ensure that Community legislation on the protection of animals during transport is known and respected by their employees and visitors;
- rules on the transport of horses;
- Council Regulation 3821/85 provides for recording equipment to be installed and used to ensure effective checking on compliance with social legislation concerning road transport. Such record data will be made available and checked so as to enforce travelling time limits under animal welfare legislation;
- flexible procedures will improve the level of collaboration between the competent authorities in the different Member States;
- A significant number of animals are transported by livestock vessels over very long journeys from and within the Community and transport by sea can be checked at the place of departure. The Regulation sets up specific measures and standards for this mode of transport;
- the use of cattle-prods is regulated;
- the Regulation provides for the possibility of establishing derogations to take account of the remoteness of certain regions from the mainland of the Community, in particular for outermost regions.
ENTRY INTO FORCE : 25/01/2005.