The Committee of Inquiry on the Protection of Animals during Transport hold a public hearing with experts on the transport of live animals to third countries. Exchange of views with Constança CARVALHO, PATAV (Anti-Transport Platform for Live Animals), Péter HENCZ, Managing director, HUNLAND Trans Kft, Lorène JACQUET, Campaigns and Advocacy Manager, Fondation Brigitte Bardot and Heinz OSTERLOH, German Cattle and Meat Trade Association and statement by Tilly METZ (Greens/EFA, LU), ANIT Chair.

Transport of live animals to third countries: extracts from the public hearing and statement by Tilly METZ (Greens/EFA, LU), ANIT Chair - ANIT Committee

Atmosphere from the meeting room, 10 shots

SOUNDBITE (English), Constan&#231;a CARVALHO, PATAV (Anti-Transport Platform for Live Animals), Portugal, Common misshandling includes using electric sticks repeatedly in the same animal, kicking or hitting the animals, or pulling animals by their horns, ears, legs, tails or neck. It is important to state that this does not happen in only Portugal. Colleagues from other NGOs have witnessed loadings in Croatia, Romania, France, Spain, Slovenia and it is everywhere the same.

SOUNDBITE (English), Constan&ccedil;a CARVALHO, PATAV (Anti-Transport Platform for Live Animals), Portugal, Many believe that this trade is crucial for European economy. We would like to state for the record that we disagree. This benefits a handful of farmers and harms other workers in the same business, including those working in meat abattoirs and fattening farms who are becoming jobless as the export of live animals increase. From our experience, we don't believe that this trade should continue, not only on behalf of life of animal welfare, but also because it is going in a totally opposite direction from the farm to fork strategy that Europe promotes, not to mention the increase of the carbon footprint footprint.

SOUNDBITE (English), P&#233;ter HENCZ, Managing director, HUNLAND Trans Kft, Hungary, It is absolutely impossible to control all the transfers to the other countries considering that the EU approved facilities do not exist in the territory of the third countries. The authorities have no access to reliable UP-TO-DATE information. So from our standpoint, the NGOs, the transporters, the authorities and exporters should cooperate to change this situation

SOUNDBITE (English), P&eacute;ter HENCZ, Managing director, HUNLAND Trans Kft, Hungary, Our suggestions would be the following to solve this issue, the first one, the transporter should provide video and photo materials about the planned staging points outside the EU borders to the competent authorities for a pre-journeyinspection. During the journey continual access should be given to the GPS and thermal data.

SOUNDBITE (French), Lor&#232;ne JACQUET, Campaigns and Advocacy Manager, Fondation Brigitte Bardot, France, We think it's important to have safeguards when it comes to the transport of live animals. We know there are some rules enforced, but that is not sufficient. To make sure that there is welfare for animals during transports to third countries. Controls are not sufficient to make sure that animal welfare throughout.

SOUNDBITE (English), Heinz OSTERLOH, German Cattle and Meat Trade Association, Germany, So after the transportation, there is often in third countries, always in third countries, carried out a second quarantine. That differs as well. It's a couple of weeks as well. The whole journey is recorded. And for example, in Germany, it's the same like in Ireland. Forty eight hours before at least, you have to provide all necessary information to the official veterinarian and to the responsible bodies. They have access to all data on the truck in real time. 

SOUNDBITE (English), Tilly METZ (Greens/EFA, LU), ANIT Chair, A lot of people are shocked and concerned about the situation that animal welfare should be guaranteed until the destination of the animals, most of the time at best the controls stops at the harbour. So we need to guarantee, or the big question is, should we do export if we cannot guarantee the well-being of the animals until destination and if there are not the possibility to make sufficient controls?

SOUNDBITE (English), Tilly METZ (Greens/EFA, LU), ANIT Chair, These transports are lasting very much too long, very often to third countries. Very often we don't have the resting places that should be there for the animals. And of course, we have all now in our heads the situation of the vessels. So these are open vessels, not specifically for animals, where animals hurt themselves, where there is not enough space for the animals to lay down or to stand up, where the feeding cannot be guaranteed and so on and so forth. So there's a lot of issues to be tackled when we are speaking about long animal transport, and animal transport out of the European Union where the control cannot be guaranteed.

SOUNDBITE (English), Tilly METZ (Greens/EFA, LU), ANIT Chair, There's, of course, always the discussion to transport less animals and more carcasses instead of live animals.

Transport of live animals to third countries: extracts from the public hearing and statement by Tilly METZ (Greens/EFA, LU), ANIT Chair - ANIT Committee

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ANIT - Committee of inquiry on the Protection of Animals during Transport