Tuesday, 18th November 2008
MEP launches petition to stop long animal transport to slaughter
Scottish MEP Struan Stevenson from Ballantrae (South Ayrshire) launched on 11 November a Europe-wide signature collection to stop live animals being transported for more than eight hours to slaughter.
The campaign is called “8 hours” and is internet-based. Its website (http://www.8hours.eu) has been initiated by Dan Jørgensen, member of the European Parliament for the Danish Social Democrats. The campaign is run in different member states around the EU and in the UK it is run by MEPs Neil Parish and Struan Stevenson.
The petition aims at collecting one million signatures to be submitted to the European Agriculture Ministers, who will be discussing a revision of the EU Transport Regulation next year.
Since June 2006, tens of thousands of calves have been exported from Scotland to continental Europe, some of them going to Spain on journeys averaging 70 hours. Every year around 6 millions animals are transported huge distances across Europe only to be slaughtered at journey’s end. Packed into overcrowded trucks, animals are often given no, or far too little, food, water or rest. As the journeys progress, the animals become increasingly exhausted and dehydrated. Some succumb to heat stress and can be seen desperately panting and gasping for air. In the worst cases, many die.
The 2004 Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Animal Health and Welfare of the European Food Safety Authority stressed that animal transport should “be avoided wherever possible and journeys should be as short as possible”. This recommendation is, however, not reflected in the current EU legislation.
MEP Struan Stevenson says: ”I am a keen supporter of the 8 hour limit on animals transported for slaughter, with special derogations for the remote Scottish islands like Shetland and Orkney, where longer journey times by sea are inevitable, but these should only be undertaken in specialised units which enable the animals to rest and lie down, while accessing food and water. For all other journeys, 8 hours must be strictly adhered to, with renewed emphasis on transporting carcasses rather than live animals."
Peter Stevenson, Chief Policy Advisor of Compassion in World Farming, comments: “We believe that the long distance transport of animals to slaughter should be brought to an end. Animals should be slaughtered as near as possible to the farm of rearing; the meat can then be transported to wherever it is wanted.
“Compassion in World Farming is delighted to be joining forces with MEPs Neil Parish and Struan Stevenson in support of their petition calling for an EU-wide limit of 8 hours on journeys to slaughter”.
