ICSA president Dermot Kelleher has called on all Irish MEPs to pull out all the stops to get as many votes as possible against the proposed new animal transport rules which he said would be an unmitigated disaster for Ireland.
The proposed rules have come from the ANIT Committee (Committee of Inquiry into the Protection of Animals During Transport) which has called for a ban on exports of calves under 35 days, a ban on the transport of animals in the third trimester of pregnancy and a two-hour time limit on the transport of unweaned animals over 35 days.
“This is an extreme position which, quite frankly, is a disaster for Ireland. I am calling on all our MEPs to use their positions to get this over-the-top position rolled back. Ireland is dependent on live exports, and this will be the end of exports of dairy calves. It is also absurd to suggest that any transport of cows in-calf within three months of calving should be banned. Many cows and in-calf heifers are sold in the final trimester, for all sorts of reasons such as herd dispersal, reducing numbers where the farmer doesn’t have sufficient accommodation or feed or due simply to economic necessity.”
“The reality is that these rules are being dreamed up by those who do not understand livestock farming, and the fact is that these rules will create a lot more animal welfare issues. Farmers need to be able to sell animals at a time which is appropriate to their farming system. If you interfere with this, there are unintended consequences.”
“The proposals are scheduled to be discussed at the plenary meeting of the European Parliament in Strasbourg next week. We need all Irish MEPs to work very hard in the coming days to get as much support as possible for a more measured but pro-animal welfare policy. Extreme urban-based MEPs do not understand that there are a lot of negative animal welfare implications in what is proposed. Farmers sell in-calf animals for all sorts of reasons including the need to get them to farms where they can be calved down. It is also fundamentally important for animal welfare that dairy farms are able to sell calves at less than 35 days.
This set of proposals will have huge negative economic implications. Ireland, as a livestock island is especially vulnerable. Farmers need as many markets as possible and we need the competition that live exports provide. The reality is that there are no markets for unhealthy or dead animals – the very fact that these markets exist proves that animal transport can and is being accomplished with best practice in terms of animal welfare.”
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