Gemeinsamer Brief an die EU-Kommission bzgl. Tiertransporten – Joint letter to the EU Commission regarding animal transports
Commissioners Wojciechowski and Kyriakides
European Commission
B-1049 Brussels, Belgium
Julia Klöckner
President of EU Agriculture Council
Rue de la Loi 175
B-1048 Brussels, Belgium
Maria do Céu Antunes,
Ministério da Agricultura, Florestas e Desenvolvimento Rural
Praça do Comércio,
1499-010 Lisboa
Dear Commissioner Kyriakides, dear Commissioner Wojciechowski,
Dear President of the Agriculture Council Julia Klöckner,
Dear Minister of Portuguese Agriculture, Maria do Céu Antunes,
We welcome the Council’s attention to matters related to the enforcement of the Transport Regulation and the Commission’s objective to strengthen the implementation of animal welfare standards and its work on enforcement. With this regard we want to draw your attention to another investigation that has brought to light serious and unacceptable shortcomings in the enforcement of Regulation 1/2005.
During 2019, Plataforma Anti Transporte de Animais Vivos (PATAV) was able to get film footage from inside two livestock vessels on five different journeys from Portugal to Israel. The footage that you can see here patav.weebly.com/comunicado-de… shows systematic breaches of Regulation (EC) No. 1/2005 on the Protection of Animals During Transport namely:
1. A bovine that fell into the sea during loading indicating poor safety measures. We can provide additional footage of at least four similar incidents in Portuguese harbours
2. Overcrowding causing the animals to be unable to turn around, get up, lie down, feed or drink at all times
3. Injured animals that are not given any treatment
4. Diseased animals that are left lying on the ground and not given any treatment
5. Animals’ bodies covered in faeces which is an indicator of poor welfare as it means that animals are unable to lie down on a clean and dry surface
6. Animals with their heads stuck in the railings that enclose the pens showing that the structures are dangerous for the animals
7. Sheep roaming in the vessel’s passageways
8. High ammonia concentrations which cause eye irritation and which can cause blindness in some cases
9. Food and water devices either empty or fallen onto the ground (additional footage of this situation in different journeys can be provided)
The video also shows additional indicators of poor welfare:
1. Injured and severely diseased animals not receiving veterinary treatment as Regulation 1/2005 does not require a veterinarian to be on board during the journey
2. Disorientation which is an indicator of poor welfare
3. Lack of daily inspections (as happens on farms) due to lack of veterinarian on board
4. Several animals with tongues sticking out which is a sign of stress and poor welfare
The majority of the footage was taken at the beginning of the journey, still in Portuguese waters, so we can only imagine how bad the conditions would become after several days at sea.
Dear Minister Maria do Céu Antunes, given that these tragic and recurring incidents occurred in Portugal we urge you to take notice of the work initiated at the informal meeting of Agriculture Ministers on 30th September- 1st August 2020 and the work that may be carried out during the current German presidency. We also urge you to make the development of solutions to the serious animal welfare problems caused by live animal transports a priority topic of your presidency.
We are aware that the Commission refers to Portugal as one of the countries that makes greater efforts to comply with the animal transport legislation and still this is what happens after just a few hours on board.
We would like to point out that the Court of Justice ruled in the Zuchtvieh case that Regulation 1/2005 must be complied with all the way through to the destination in the non-EU country but this is absolutely impossible during the long sea journeys when there are neither veterinarians nor EU authorities on board to ensure compliance with the regulation.
Also the minimum space required on livestock vessels by Regulation 1/2005 is insufficient to allow for all the animals to freely move and access food and water ad libitum.
We welcome the Commission’s plan to adopt a delegated act to improve the quality of inspections by Member State authorities before the ship departs. However, PATAV’s footage shows that it is also vital to ensure compliance with Regulation 1/2005 during the long sea journeys.
The potential for problems during the sea journeys was recognised by the Commission’s recent review of transport by sea. The report shows that neither the exporters nor the Member State authorities are giving any proper consideration to the animals’ welfare during the sea journeys themselves. The report states “neither the Member States nor the Commission have information or statistics on the health and welfare state of the animals during sea journeys”. It adds: “There is currently no routine feedback from third countries, transporters or ships’ Masters on the condition of animals during the sea journey nor on the conditions in which they arrive at destination.”
We urge the Commission to ban the shipment of live animals to non-EU countries. Trade should shift to a trade of meat and carcasses and genetic material only. While the trade continues the Commission must ensure that it is carried out in compliance with the Court of Justice ruling in the Zuchtvieh case. For this aim we believe it is crucial to:
a) Continue official research on the level of implementation of Regulation 1/2005 during the export of animals to third Countries, especially during sea journeys.
a) Make regular audits at European ports, such as the ones done in 2018 and 2019.
b) Introduce a regulatory system (as is in operation in the Australian live export industry) that makes European exporters legally accountable for ensuring compliance once animals leave the EU with EU Regulation 1/2005 and OIE standards.
c) Implement strict guidelines for the construction and maintenance of vessels, with minimum requirements based on Marine Order 43 of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
d) Make the “Network document on livestock vessels” legally binding and included in the Annex to Regulation 1/2005.
e) Implement procedures to verify the compliance with Regulation No. 1/2005 after animals leave the EU, as set out in Art. 3 of Council Reg. 817/2010.
f) Introduce a mandatory presence of a qualified, independent veterinarian to accompany animals during sea transport. This recommendation has already been presented by the European Parliament resolution of 14 February 2019 (point 67).
g) Implementation of the Network document regarding live animal transports and to not approve any consignments to third countries when compliance with Regulation 1/2005 and the welfare of the animals cannot be assured.
h) Implementation to approve only vessels that are in the white list flag state. To deny approvals of any vessel that has been categorized by Pari MoU as a black or grey vessel.
i) Strict enforcement of Article 26.6 in case of vessel approvals that are in breach of Regulation 1/2005.
j) Contingency plans for different emergencies (mechanical breakdown of vessels, delays during loading or unloading, severe weather, sick/injured animals, emergency killing or euthanasia of animals in ports and the disposal of carcasses, etc).
Yours sincerely
Animal Aid, Isobel Hutchinson, Director
Animal Welfare Foundation, Iris Baumgärtner, Vice-Chair
Animals International, Gabriel Paun, EU Director
Animals without Borders, Anita Euschen, Director
Compassion in World Farming, Peter Stevenson, Chief Policy Advisor
Compassion in World Farming EU, Olga Kikou, Head of Office
Deutscher Tierschutzbund, Thomas Schröder, President
Dier&Recht, Robyn Pees
Dierenbescherming, B. van den Berg, Program manager farm animals
Djurens Rätt, Benny Andersson, CEO, Djurens Rätt
Djurskyddet Sverige/Animal Welfare Sweden, Åsa Hagelstedt, Secretary General
Ethical Farming Ireland, Caroline Rowley, Director
Eurogroup for Animals, Reineke Hameleers, Director
Eyes on Animals, Lesley Moffat, Director
Four Paws, Pierre Sultana, Director European Policy Office
GAIA, Ann De Greef, Director
ISPCA, Dr Andrew Kelly, Chief Executive Officer
La Fondation Droit Animal, Éthique et Sciences (LFDA), Nikita Bachelard, Chargée d’affaires et de relations publiques
mensch fair tier, Simone Forgé
Otwarte Klatki, Bogna Wiltowska, Director of Investigations
PATAV, Plataforma Anti Transporte de Animais Vivos, Constança Carvalho, Spokesperson
PROVIEH, Jasmin Zöllmer, Leitung Hauptstadtreferat und Politik
Sloboda Zvierat, Silvia Canova
Svenska Djurskyddsföreningen, Johan Beck-Friis, Secretary General
The Humane League UK, Pru Elliott, Head of Campaigns, UK
Tierärzte für verantwortbare Landwirtschaft e.V., Veterinarians for conscientious farming and agriculture, Karl Pfizenmaier
Tierschutzbund Zürich, Iris Baumgärtner, Vice-Chair
Varkens in Nood, Robyn Pees
Verein gegen Tierfabriken, Martin Balluch
WELFARM – Protection mondiale des animaux de ferme, Ghislain Zuccolo, Director.
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Sent: December 14, 2020 at 08:26 AM
From: “Simone Forgé” s.forge@posteo.de
Subject: Gemeinsamer Brief an die EU-Kommission bzgl. Tiertransporten – Joint letter to the EU Commission regarding animal transports
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Sent by:
Martina Patterson (December 14, 2020 at 06:28 PM)
pattersonmatpatt@gmx.net
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Published by „the fellbeißer“© (December 15, 2020)
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