German Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) has expressed support for a halt on animal transports to non-EU countries that do not meet EU animal welfare standards. “Transports to non-EU countries should only take place if the protection of animals is at least comparable to the standard within the EU” Özdemir told the Funke-Mediengruppe newspapers (Saturday editions). “I want to see animal-welfare-incompatible animal transports outside the EU become a thing of the past.” To achieve this, the Green politician has sent a key point paper to the EU Commission on Friday.
The three-page document demands a EU-wide regulation. Until such a regulation can come into effect, a national rule should be in place, obliging non-EU countries to adhere to certain animal welfare standards. Animal welfare should be taken into account not only when importing animals, but also when they are held in transit stations and during their keeping. Inhumane practices, such as the use of crates for transporting animals or the killing of animals, should be prohibited after arrival in the non-EU country, for example in the context of rest stops before slaughter or the killing of animals themselves. Even in cases of emergency killings, animal welfare should be ensured.
In the event of non-compliance, measures such as a halt in exports could be taken, until the deficiencies are rectified, the key point paper states. Furthermore, the export of animals from Germany to a non-EU country, which does not have an agreement on animal welfare with Germany, should be prohibited. “I propose to Brussels that the export of live animals from Germany be tied to an agreement in which our trade partners commit to upholding clearly defined animal welfare standards. This will put an end to animal-welfare-incompatible transports” Özdemir said.
He recalled a case from October, in which 69 pregnant cows died at the Bulgarian-Turkish border. A live animal transporter from the Elbe-Elster district had been held up for weeks because of an outbreak of blue lung disease in Brandenburg. “The shocking images of the dead pregnant cows are still in our minds. We must no longer stand idly by as animals suffer or die a slow death on sometimes multi-day transports out of the EU” the agriculture minister warned.