Animal protection: EU Parliament wants to improve animal transport

In 2019 alone, a good 1.6 billion animals were transported in Europe – often under painful conditions. The members of the EU Parliament want to change that – and are increasing the pressure on the EU Commission.

It involves many millions of live animals that are transported across Europe every day, mainly on trucks – or sometimes even on ships overseas. In 2019 there were a good 1.6 billion in total, far too often in excruciating conditions. Hardly anyone questioned that in today’s debate in the European Parliament. On the contrary.

The conditions were denounced across all political factions: hunger, thirst, heat, cramped conditions together with fear of death were the order of the day for the animals during transport. Thomas Waitz, for the Austrian Greens in the European Parliament, sees this as a fundamental problem in European agriculture: “This type of agriculture has led to fewer and fewer farms. This system is forcing small and medium-sized farmers in particular to close their businesses.”

“Illuminating Animal Welfare”

Like Waitz, who is an organic farmer himself, many MEPs called for more animal welfare when transporting animals. The grievances that have been worked up in a parliamentary investigative committee in recent months are too obvious. However, it must also be a matter of not losing sight of the interests of agriculture and ensuring the necessary balance, according to conservative and some liberal parliamentarians in particular.

However, that is not the decisive question, said the SPD European politician Silvia Noichl: “It is the task to shed light on the situation of the animals. Our task is to make a good recommendation to the commission. The commission will then draw up papers and then the deliberation happens.”

Pressure on the EU Commission and member states

With a clear majority, the MEPs spoke out in favor of the transport regulations being improved and the EU Commission calling on the member states to carry out more intensive controls – and, if necessary, also launching infringement proceedings.

The European Parliament’s initiative will not change anything. But it will put pressure on the Commission and member states. The responsible EU Commissioner Stella Kyriakidis assured the European Parliament that she takes the initiative very seriously. She is aware of the great responsibility towards animal welfare, says Kyriakidis, but also towards the farmers, the citizens and society as a whole.