New EU guides on animal transport launched

Supporting the transport industry to improve animal welfare, IRU joins five core partners to launch a European approach to best practices for the transport of live animals.

Thousands of animals are transported daily within Europe and beyond, yet significant differences exist on the rules and practices currently in force between the various EU Member States. IRU Projects has successfully contributed to the creation of a set of practical Animal Transport guidelines which are now available on the project website.

The outcome of a three year exercise, with testing carried out in eight countries, the guidelines provide the European Commission with an overview of the critical aspects of animal welfare throughout the logistics chain. The guidelines and checklists tackle issues such as loading and unloading, feeding and watering and transport in extreme temperatures. In addition, a driver checklist is part of the package.

The EU Animal Guides project gathered a consortium of 16 members from 10 Countries, active in the area of livestock transport. IRU Projects was part of the core team, with its contribution critical to enhancing understanding from the perspective of transport operators.

Monica Giannini, IRU Projects Senior Manager said:

– We were pleased to be a core partner on the creation of these practical guidelines, which improve animal welfare, while taking into account the views of the transport industry. The project has drawn on the specialist expertise of farmers, specialised transporters, traders, animal rights representatives and veterinarians, among others.

These guidelines follow longstanding work by IRU on the issue of animal transport, notably with a position paper published in 2010 relating to the need for harmonisation between the rules relating to animal welfare and those relating to road transport operations.