EU livestock transport proposals spark outcry over animal welfare rollbacks

MEPs have submitted over 3,000 amendment proposals to the European Commission’s livestock transport regulation, which covers journey times, temperature limits, and the transport of unweaned animals. Many of the proposals aim to loosen or remove current standards, which are said to pose an economic threat to the industry.

Of the proposals submitted, at least 17 clearly aim to ease bureaucratic constraints on transport regulations and provide needed “flexibility.” Some note that welfare restrictions create “unviable” logistical problems that “threaten rural livelihoods” and could lead to “severe economic consequences.”

The proposals include amendments that would increase maximum transport times to 100 hours, allow transport of unweaned animals for up to 66 hours, remove ventilation thresholds and reduce air quality controls, remove space allowance requirements, and remove EU accountability on sea and air transport to other regions. 

Animal welfare proponents say that if these amendments are passed, they will reduce supply chain standards to new, “shockingly” low levels and damage EU industry credibility in the face of science and public opinion. 

“Animal transport is often underestimated because it happens out of sight and is complex to regulate, especially across borders. Yet it’s one of the most stressful parts of a farmed animal’s life, with long journeys, overcrowding, and extreme temperatures being common,” Susanna Blattner, Farm Animals Slaughter & Transport program officer at Eurogroup for Animals, tells Food Ingredients First.

“Consumers should know that even animals raised under good conditions can suffer greatly during transport. Asking questions about transport, supporting local supply chains, and demanding stricter rules are key to driving real change.” 

Which MEPs are proposing what?

The MEPs making these proposals represent a range of different political groups. Proposals by Veronika Vrecionová (European Conservatives and Reformists Party) and Emmanouil Fragkos (Non-attached) would allow unweaned animals to be transported for up to 66 hours. 

Millions of animals are transported as livestock daily, often with little to no regulatory oversight.Christine Singer (European People’s Party), Jan-Christoph Oetjen (Renew), and others have supported measures to permit total journey times exceeding 100 hours. Borja Giménez Larraz, Céline Imart, and Jessika Van Leeuwen (EPP) have backed proposals to remove minimum space allowances and compartment height requirements. 

Asger Christensen and Benoît Cassart (Renew) have proposed deleting ventilation thresholds and numeric limits on carbon dioxide and ammonia levels inside transport vehicles. Valérie Deloge and Gilles Pennelle (Patriots for Europe) have supported removing the Commission’s authority to regulate animal transport by sea and air.

They cite economic feasibility, operational flexibility, and enforcement practicality as chief reasons. None of the MEPs mentioned have yet responded for comment. 

The reality of livestock transport

Research has found that 44 million animals are transported between EU states and exported internationally annually, with up to five million in transit daily. Many are on journeys lasting more than eight hours.

Blattner says the idea that unweaned animals could face 66-hour journeys is “genuinely concerning.” 

“These animals are extremely vulnerable: they cannot feed independently and are highly sensitive to stress and temperature extremes. Journeys of this length would cause serious and entirely avoidable suffering.”

Over 370,000 unweaned calves and 300,000 unweaned lambs are transported within the EU annually, often enduring long journeys without adequate feeding.

This would be compounded by removing protections against extreme temperatures during transport. In summer, temperatures inside trucks can reach 50°C — under such conditions, animals can and do die from heat stress, Blattner says. 

“There are also amendments aiming to eliminate the newly proposed space requirements, which are designed to ensure animals can at least lie down or access drinking water during transport. These proposals go against scientific recommendations and undermine the very purpose of the regulation’s revision, which is to improve animal welfare.”

International transport 

Some MEPs are opposing the rollback amendments. Anja Hazekamp, MEP for Dutch group Partij voor de Dieren, is calling for a ban on international livestock exports. A spokesman for her team tells us the proposed travel time extensions are “crazy” and that the EU needs to end transport between countries.

According to leaked EU animal journey logs analyzed by Compassion in World Farming and Eurogroup for Animals, as many as 3 million EU farm animals are transported across at least one border for slaughter each year. Some of the longest overland journeys — for example, thousands of cattle and sheep transported by road to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia — lasted up to three weeks.

The data also shows that many animals are transported by boat, with 63% of livestock exported out of the EU traveling by sea. In the 19 months analyzed by the groups, 217,000 sheep were transported from Spain to Saudi Arabia on journeys taking up to 18 days.

These journeys can also be dangerous. In 2019, 14,000 sheep drowned in the Black Sea when a ship transporting them from Romania to Saudi Arabia capsized. Hazekamp and her team observed 70,000 sheep being loaded onto ships departing to the Middle East and described the scene as “horrific.” 

The biggest livestock ships can contain up to 18,000 cattle or 75,000 sheep, but on board some vessels, there are (allegedly) no crew members responsible for welfare.

“Already within the EU, it’s very difficult to guarantee animal welfare, but as soon as they’re outside the EU, there’s no jurisdiction,” the spokesperson says.