08/03/2004 
Arguing about the duration of animal transports - A comment by Christine Kolle, ISN PR officer
What are the EU Agriculture Ministers really talking about when discussing the duration of animal transports? And what's it all about for the pig keepers? It is planned that long-distance transports be limited down from a presently allowed 24 hours to a maximum 9 hours of transport being followed by a 12 hours' break. This procedure is intended to be tolerated to be repeated. The pigs are planned to be permitted to stay on the transport vehicle during the break. Other than with the presently valid regulation, the pigs must not necessarily be unloaded from the vehicle after 24 hours of transport.
We clearly support the upholding of the 24-hours' regulation, refusing the EU's proposal for two reasons:
On the one hand it's for economic considerations that the regulation needs to be opposed. By granting the breaks as per demand, the transport costs for piglet transports into the main German pig fattening regions will severely be increased. This will, for instance, also go for transports from Denmark and the Netherlands. For many of the fatteners, who buy their top-quality piglets from specialised farms, it would become completely unprofitable to feed piglets. They would most probably have to close down their farms.
On the other hand, the planned EU regulation makes no sense with regard to the protection of animals -- which is what is intended to be improved. For the pigs, taking breaks according to the plans is an additional burden rather than a relief. Loading and unloading is a stress factor for the pigs, the transport itself is not. Quite contrary to many other animal species, pigs lay down during the trip to have a rest. This way, agitation and stress will arise no earlier than at the time of unloading. This fact has basically been acknowledged by the EU Commission; however, it is not being taken into consideration sufficiently.
Something even more alarming than the planned EU regulation is what the Agriculture Ministers of Austria, Sweden and Denmark -- and Germany's Mrs Künast before them all -- are demanding: The duration of animal transports is demanded to be restricted to an absolute maximum of 8 hours. So, what does that mean for piglet producers from Bavaria or Baden-Württemberg, for instance? These sell the majority of their piglets to North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony. Basically, those farmers could indeed keep up their trade relations, even if the sheer duration of transport were limited down to 8 hours. But this matter has a catch in it: The EU demands that the so-called
For the Bavarian farmers with their own, small farms it took year to establish trade relations that allow for the making of sufficient family incomes. And this would simply be destroyed by the politicians this way.
The French, the Italian, the Spanish, the Portuguese, the Greek, the Irish and the Polish are clearly opposing the 8-hours' regulation. Every reduction whatsoever in the duration of transport would result in severe losses for national livestock husbandry. From those nations' point of view, the EU protection of animals should rather be improved on the basis of scientific investigation. That exactly would be right way to choose. The pigs would benefit from the quality of animal transports being improved continuously. At the same time, unforced economic damage would be avoided. And that indeed makes sense!
We clearly support the upholding of the 24-hours' regulation, refusing the EU's proposal for two reasons:
On the one hand it's for economic considerations that the regulation needs to be opposed. By granting the breaks as per demand, the transport costs for piglet transports into the main German pig fattening regions will severely be increased. This will, for instance, also go for transports from Denmark and the Netherlands. For many of the fatteners, who buy their top-quality piglets from specialised farms, it would become completely unprofitable to feed piglets. They would most probably have to close down their farms.
On the other hand, the planned EU regulation makes no sense with regard to the protection of animals -- which is what is intended to be improved. For the pigs, taking breaks according to the plans is an additional burden rather than a relief. Loading and unloading is a stress factor for the pigs, the transport itself is not. Quite contrary to many other animal species, pigs lay down during the trip to have a rest. This way, agitation and stress will arise no earlier than at the time of unloading. This fact has basically been acknowledged by the EU Commission; however, it is not being taken into consideration sufficiently.
Something even more alarming than the planned EU regulation is what the Agriculture Ministers of Austria, Sweden and Denmark -- and Germany's Mrs Künast before them all -- are demanding: The duration of animal transports is demanded to be restricted to an absolute maximum of 8 hours. So, what does that mean for piglet producers from Bavaria or Baden-Württemberg, for instance? These sell the majority of their piglets to North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony. Basically, those farmers could indeed keep up their trade relations, even if the sheer duration of transport were limited down to 8 hours. But this matter has a catch in it: The EU demands that the so-called
collecting timebe included in the overall duration of transport. So now, what is the catch in it? Given that the collecting time included in the duration of transport, none of the Bavarian piglet producers will be able any longer to send transport vehicles to the pig fatteners: The 8 hours allowed for transport would almost be
used upfor just collecting the piglets from the individual small farms ... Well then, if it's all about breaking up ever more farms owned by families: Just keep going!
For the Bavarian farmers with their own, small farms it took year to establish trade relations that allow for the making of sufficient family incomes. And this would simply be destroyed by the politicians this way.
The French, the Italian, the Spanish, the Portuguese, the Greek, the Irish and the Polish are clearly opposing the 8-hours' regulation. Every reduction whatsoever in the duration of transport would result in severe losses for national livestock husbandry. From those nations' point of view, the EU protection of animals should rather be improved on the basis of scientific investigation. That exactly would be right way to choose. The pigs would benefit from the quality of animal transports being improved continuously. At the same time, unforced economic damage would be avoided. And that indeed makes sense!
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