Millions of animals are transported over long distances on European roads, sometimes for several days, only to be killed on arrival. This huge amount of suffering can easily be avoided by killing the animals in the nearest slaughterhouse to the farm and then transporting their meat and carcasses.

On 15 March, the European Parliament adopted Written Declaration 49/2011, which calls on the EU institutions to establish a maximum 8-hour limit on the journey of animals transported for the purpose of slaughter.

On 7 June, representatives of animal welfare NGOs from all over Europe and Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) handed in 1,103,248 signatures to Commissioner for Health and Consumers, John Dalli, who is responsible for animal welfare in the European Union. In front of the cameras, Mr Dalli announced that “by 2014 the Commission will publish a legislative proposal”, which would include live transport and transport times. On the same occasion, the Commissioner admitted that “some species of animals require a much lower figure than 8 hours”.

A few days later, Mr Dalli denied that he ever promised a review of the rules on transport, and had his staff affirm that enforcement of the present rules was enough. Some of those rules have been in place for over 20 years and have never been enforced. Mr Dalli has provided no explanation as to why such rules would start to be enforced now.

Some of the norms contained in the present legislation cannot possibly be enforced. In some cases, scientific evidence is available which according to the present rules should prompt an immediate review of Regulation 1/2005.

Commissioner Dalli is ignoring these facts, together with the demands of the majority of Members of the European Parliament – including all the Maltese MEPs – and of over one million EU citizens. What makes Mr Dalli think that the suffering of millions of animals and the will of EU citizens are less relevant than the profits of a few?

The 8hours campaign was launched jointly by Animals’ Angels – an international organisation which has documented hundreds of cases of severe suffering endured by animals transported on long-distance journeys – together with Danish MEP Dan Jørgensen. The aim of the initiative is to limit the transport of animals for the purpose of slaughter to no longer than 8 hours.

This conference is one of the actions organised within the frame of the 8hours campaign with the aim of increasing knowledge on the issue of live animal transport and putting an end to the intense suffering of millions of animals in long-distance transports.

John Dalli was appointed by the Maltese government as its EU Commissioner. We believe that Maltese citizens should be particularly aware of what Mr Dalli is doing – or refusing to do – within the scope of his mandate.

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PROGRAMME

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Moderator: Adolfo Sansolini
Co-ordinator of the 8hours campaign (Italy-UK)

OPENING

Christa Blanke
Founder and President of Animals’ Angels (Germany)

Dan Jørgensen
Member of the European Parliament (Denmark)

LONG-DISTANCE LIVE ANIMAL TRANSPORT

Peter Stevenson
Policy Advisor, Compassion In World Farming (UK)
EU legislation vs. animal welfare: the case of long-distance live transport.

Dr. Ales Brecelj
Veterinarian, former FVO official (Slovenia)

Christine Hafner
Head of Investigations Italy, Animals’ Angels (Germany)
First-hand experience checking transports: how animals suffer on European roads

Carmel Lino Vella
Former CVO of Malta, Veterinary Affairs Consultant
The Maltese experience on live animal transport

Q&A

THE INADEQUACY OF REGULATION 1/2005

Prof. Marita Giménez-Candela
Animal Law Professor, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain)
A critical approach to the welfare legislation on animal transport

Dr Alexander Rabitsch
Veterinarian, animal transport inspector (Austria)
Problems related to checks of international transports – inapplicability of some norms. Discrepancies between the social legislation for drivers and the allowed transport times for animals

Q&A

AN 8-HOUR LIMIT: GOOD FOR THE ANIMALS, GOOD FOR DEMOCRACY

Munung Wawa Wang
8hours Policy Advisor (Denmark)
The 8hours campaign: who are the EU institutions responding to?

Dr. Mario Sapino
Director, UVAC Piemonte, Ministry of Health (Italy)
Consequences of discrepancies between maximum weight limits in road legislation and Regulation 1/2005 (Dr Sapino cannot be present. His presentation was delivered by Christine Hafner)

John Dalli
EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy

Q&A

COUNTRY SITUATIONS – ENFORCEMENT IS UNLIKELY, AND IN ANY CASE IT WOULD NOT BE ENOUGH

Alberto Díez Michelena
Director de Campañas, ANDA (Spain)

Roberto Bennati
Vice-President, LAV (Italy)
Police training, limits of enforcement in Italy under the present Regulation

Dr. Claudia Eggert
Veterinarian, animal transport inspector (Germany)
Animal transport Checks on German motorways: Difficulties and the Deficiencies of Enforcement of Regulation 1/2005

Q&A

CONCLUSIONS

Andrea Zanoni (ALDE)
Member of the European Parliament (Italy)

Adolfo Sansolini
Co-ordinator of the 8hours campaign (Italy-UK)

Max Farrugia
Chairperson, International Animal Rescue – IAR (Malta)
in representation of Maltese organisations that co-promote the conference

END

After the conference some of the participants took part in the programme ‘Animal Diaries’ on Net Television.