Summary of Welfare of Animals During Transport
Main Requirements of new EU Regulation on the Welfare of Animals During Transport
This summary should be read along with Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport and related operations and the amending Directives.
Exemptions from Regulation
- All animals taken directly to or from a veterinary practice or clinic under veterinary advice.
- Farmers transporting their own animals in their vehicles under 50 km.
Animals that cannot be transported
- Unfit animals (see Annex 1 to the Council Regulation 1/2005).
- Very young animals, e.g. calves of less than 10 days of age, pigs of less than three weeks and lambs of less than one week, except if the journey is less than 100 km.
- Calves of less than 14 days of age on journeys exceeding 8 hours.
- Pregnant female animals in the last stage of gestation (within 10% of the estimated birth date).
- Female animals less than one week after giving birth.
- Cats and dogs under 8 weeks of age, unless accompanied by their mother.
Transporter requirements for journeys up to 65 km
Transporters are not required to have vehicle authorisation or training and certificates of competence. However, they must comply with the technical rules on fitness to travel, means of transport and transport practices. See Annex 1 to the Council Regulation 1/2005.
Transporter authorisation for all journeys over 65 km
Authorisation will be granted, and will be valid for 5 years, if transporters can comply with the following:
- The transporter has an established business or, in the case of businesses established outside of the UK, is represented in the country;
- The transporter can demonstrate that they have appropriate staff, equipment and operational procedures to transport animals in compliance with the new Regulation; and
- The transporter has no record of serious infringements of animal welfare legislation in the 3 years preceding application.
Additional Requirements for Transporter authorisation for journeys over 8 hours
The transporter must also provide:
- certificates of approval for vehicles and containers;
- certificates of competence for all staff acting as drivers and/or attendants on the journeys (see below); and
- details of procedures enabling transporters to trace and record the movement of road vehicles under their responsibility and to contact the drivers at any time contingency plans in the event of emergencies.
All new vehicles used for the transport of horses (except registered horses) or farmed animals must have a satellite navigation system. From 2009, this will apply to all vehicles (old and new) used for the transport of horses (except registered horses) or farmed animals.
Training and competence certification for drivers and attendants and assembly centre personnel
Drivers and attendants responsible for the transport of farmed animals, horses and poultry on journeys over 65km are required to hold certificates of competence.
Assembly centre staff will not be required to obtain a certificate of competence but will need to have undergone training.
The training courses will cover the technical and administrative aspects of the rules and regulations that apply to the protection of animals during transport. However, the precise format of training, and who may provide it, is not specified in the Regulation. Thus, we consider that training may be by means of on-the-job training combined with practical experience or by formal methods such as those leading to standards equivalent to qualifications accredited into the National Qualifications Framework. To this end we do not insist on any formal training.
The aspects of the regulation which will be assessed include:
- general conditions of transporting animals;
- the documents that are required;
- fitness for transport;
- journey planning;
- animal physiology and feed needs, animal behaviour and the concept of stress;
- practical aspects of handling animals;
- impact of driving behaviour on welfare of animals and on the quality of meat;
- emergency care for animals; and
- safety of personnel handling animals.
All drivers and attendants must undertake a theory test, while those involved in long journeys (over 8 hours), must also undertake an additional practical assessment. The assessment is specific to the role of the transporter or attendant, the length of journeys to be undertaken and the species to be transported.
The certificate of competence will be awarded once an independent assessment has been made.
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