Economic factors, interlinked with EU regulation, are the main driving force for live animal transport and uneven enforcement of EU animal welfare rules, according to a review report published on Monday by the European Court of Auditors (ECA).
The report aims at providing input to the on-going revision of EU’s outdated animal welfare legislation, including the rules on live animal transport. It describes the main factors behind the transport of live animals and identifies challenges and opportunities in improving and enforcing the rules.
It differs from a regular audit which aims at holding EU decision-makers accountable and issues audit recommendations. An audit is usually based on new empirical data. A review report is mainly based on publicly available information and some material collected specifically for its purpose, without any recommendations.
In this review, ECA took a step forward. The auditors created an interactive online dashboard, where media, researchers and the general public can dig into the data on live animal trade by exporting and importing country and year (2017 – 2021) and extract figures on the economic value and volume of the movements of live animals by species.
“Transporting live animals over long distances can have harmful consequences on their welfare”, said Eva Lindström, the Swedish ECA member in charge of the review. “There is a risk that transporters could exploit loopholes that derive from the different national sanctions systems.”
Economic factors and statistic
Every year, billions of cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, poultry and, to a much less extent, horses are moved within the EU and to third countries for breeding, fattening or slaughter as farmers and meat producers seek to exploit regional cost differences to gain profits.
The internal market is a key element in the EU and the free trade in live animals works well – although at the expense of animal welfare.
Livestock production is not evenly spread across EU countries and regions, and farms tend to specialise in one species or stage of production.
ECA explains that farmers and meat producers aim to minimise production and slaughter costs, maximise revenues, and optimise economies of scale by exploiting cost differences between member states. These factors serve as incentives for the transport of animals, particularly when transport costs account for a small fraction of the retail meat price.
During transport, animals may suffer from hunger, thirst, heat, and a lack of space and rest. A single animal may be transported several times in its life. For example, pigs fattened and slaughtered in Germany are often born in Denmark or the Netherlands, while cattle born in France, Ireland and Lithuania are often fattened and slaughtered in Spain or Italy.
In addition, there is a trend towards fewer and larger farms and slaughterhouses but data about them are missing, according to ECA. A common indicator is the concentration ratio of the four biggest slaughterhouses (CR4) in a country. A ratio over 50 % would indicate a high concentration.
Data on the transport of live animals in the EU is fragmented and there is no breakdown of journeys less than 8 hours, a critical limit in the debate on live animal transport.
According to available data, 63 % of animal transport between 2017 and 2021 comprised short journeys of up to 8 hours, followed by long journeys (33 %) and very long journeys of over 24 hours (4 %). The figures relate only to transports between EU member states and do not include domestic transports. The length of transports to non-EU countries is not known.
Depending on species, four EU countries are ranked as top exporters of live animals. The Netherlands is the EU top exporter of pigs, mostly to Germany. Germany exports poultry, mostly to The Netherlands. France exports cattle, mostly to Italy. Romania exports sheep and goats, mostly to Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Libya.
Alternatives to live animal transport
The auditors stressed that the negative impact of transport on animal welfare could be mitigated by reducing the number and length of journeys and improving conditions for animals during transport. Ideally, there should be a transition to a system that favours the transport of carcasses and meat over live animals being moved for slaughter.
In this regard, they referred to a Swedish study showing the use of digital tools to optimise the route planning and logistics of animal transport. For example, an EU-level IT system to track all journeys of live animals could help to centralise data, and cameras and sensors could track animal movements and measure animal welfare.
They did not exclude the use of GPS tracking devices, as already used in containers and trucks, to monitor the location and length of the whole journey in real time.
They also pointed out other alternatives to live animal transport. Swedish researchers have concluded that a sufficient number of mobile and small-scale slaughterhouses would make pig and cattle journeys of more than four hours almost unnecessary in Sweden.
On the other hand, such solutions might not be economically viable and would also run against the trend towards bigger slaughterhouses because of stricter hygiene requirements. Eva Lindström told The Brussels Times that small-scale slaughterhouse at best should be seen as a complement to the bigger ones.
In this review report, ECA also emerges as an advocate of consumer interests. Consumers play an important part in driving change; a survey shows that some are willing to pay more for meat if they are informed about good animal welfare. This could be done by providing consumers with an EU animal welfare labelling system. Currently, only eggs are labelled.
Parliament versus Commission
The length of journeys of live animals is a critical issue in the revised legislation. As previously reported, a legislative proposal is expected from the European Commission in the second half of this year. The European Parliament voted in January 2022 to tighten animal welfare rules during transport but stopped short of banning live animal export to third countries.
The Parliament voted for restricting journey time for domestic animals, to put CCTV cameras on transport vehicles and to allow live animal export only if it complies with European animal welfare standards.
Animal welfare organisations welcomed ECA’s review of live animal transport with some reservations. “The EU financial watchdog confirmed what we have repeatedly said – the EU needs to promote trade in meat and carcasses as a more sustainable alternative to live animal transport,” commented Olga Kikou, Head of Compassion in World Farming EU.
Unfortunately, EU institutions continue to ignore the elephant in the room, she added. “The auditors shied away from recognising that the EU must ban the exports of live animals as there is simply no way to improve this cruel trade.”
“This report adds to the pile of evidence and conclusions shared in the last couple of years from different EU bodies and investigations by NGO that business as usual is causing tremendous suffering to animals,” Reineke Hameleers, CEO, Eurogroup for Animals, told The Brussels Times.
She added that the report should give the final push to the Commission to propose a revised Transport Regulation. The new legislation should not allow for animals to be transported beyond 8 hours (4 hours for poultry and rabbits). The transport of vulnerable animals, like unweaned calves, before 12 weeks should be prohibited and export to third countries banned.
As regards the use of mobile slaughter houses, she said that her organisation supports them, provided that they are licensed and operated by technicians trained also on animal welfare. Moreover, they should include an animal welfare officer, like the ‘normal’ slaughterhouses.”
“ECA’s report confirms that things cannot continue as they are,” commented Andreas Manz, EU Farm Animal Policy Coordinator at FOUR PAWS. “The long-standing problems of lack of transparency, weak enforcement and constant animal welfare violations in live animal transport will continue to be systematic if the rules are not changed.”
The weakest link in the chain
The EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP) has thus far not focused on animal welfare during transport. ECA member Eva Lindström described it as a “gap in the CAP.” Some improvement in the conditions of farmed animals took place some 20 years ago but animal transport remained the weakest link in the meat production system.
In fact, there are serious animal welfare concerns in the whole chain and animals are suffering everywhere, starting in factory farming, during live animal transports and ending in the slaughterhouses where ineffective stunning methods are used.
Asked by The Brussels Times to comment on the report, a Commission spokesperson replied that the Commission takes the issue of transport of animals very seriously and has been acting for years to ensure that the current legislation is properly enforced by the EU member states.
“This topic will be a key component of the overhaul of the animal welfare legislation the Commission is preparing. The Commission is currently finalising an impact assessment, which together with the latest scientific advice, provided by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), is guiding its work.”
M. Apelblat
The Brussels Times
