Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
All journeys not requiring 'Journey Logs' or qualifying
for the farmer's exclusion for transporting their own
livestock for a distance of less than 50 km from their
holdings must have an
Animal Transport Certificate
.
An Animal Transport Certificate must carry the
following information:
•
Origin and ownership of the animals
•
Place of departure and destination
•
Date and time of departure
•
Expected duration of the journey
In addition to the aforementioned requirements, all
animals transported over 65 km and for up to 8 hours
require
short journey transporter authorisation
, issued
by their competent authority. To obtain authorisation:
•
The transporter must be established in that member
state.
•
The transporter must have appropriate equipment
and operational procedures in place.
•
All staff must be trained and competent.
Anyone involved in the transport of animals must not
have been convicted of a serious animal welfare offence in
the 3 years preceding the submission of the application.
Those transporting animals for more than 8 hours
require
long journey transporter authorisation
and a
Vehicle Approval Certificate
(not required for poultry).
The vehicles must have been inspected and found to
comply with the following technical requirements:
•
An insulated roof.
•
Mechanical ventilation.
•
Temperature and data monitoring equipment.
•
Satellite navigation.
•
Ramps no steeper than 20° for pigs, calves and horses
and no steeper than 26° 34 minutes for sheep and cattle.
•
Ramps with a slope greater than 10° must have foot
battens or other aids to grip and be fitted.
•
Safety barriers must be fitted to lorries with more than
one floor to prevent animals from falling or escaping
during loading or unloading.
and quantity with regard to the animals' species, age
and size.
Livestock must not be transported for more than 8
hours, unless the additional requirements for vehicles
carrying out long journeys have been met.
Pigs may be transported for a maximum period of
24 hours during which they must be offered water at
appropriate intervals.
Cattle, sheep and goats may travel for 14 hours before
being given a rest period of at least 1 hour during which
time they are offered water and if necessary fed. After
this rest period, they may be transported for a further
14 hours.
Horses may be transported for a maximum period of
24 hours during which they must be offered water and if
necessary fed every 8 hours.
If after these journey times animals have not reached
their destination, they must be unloaded, fed and watered
and rested for 24 hours at an EU-approved 'control post.
After a 24 hours of rest, they may be transported again for
a maximum journey time, after which a 48 hour rest must
be taken, and the remainder of the journey treated as a
new journey.
For poultry, suitable food and water shall be available
in adequate quantities, except in the case of a journey
lasting less than 12 hours or 24 hours for chicks provided
the journey is completed within 72 hours of hatching.
Treatment of sick animals
When animals fall ill or are injured during transporta-
tion, action should be taken to prevent further suffering.
They should, where possible, be separated from other
animals and be provided with adequate space and bedding
to lie down. They should either be given appropriate vet-
erinary treatment as soon as possible or, if treatment is
inappropriate, undergo emergency slaughter or killing in
a way that does not cause them unnecessary suffering.
Farmers transporting their own livestock in their own
vehicles for a distance less than 50 km from their hold-
ings only have to comply with the general conditions,
outlined in article 3 of the Regulation.
Travel documentation
On all journeys transporting livestock over 8 hours
between EU member states or between EU member
states and third countries, a
Journey Log
is required.
The log lays out the detailed journey plan, is authorised
before travel by the competent authority, completed by
the transporter during the journey, signed by the keeper
or official veterinarian at the destination and returned to
the originating competent authority.
Journey Logs may be used by the competent authority
to carry out random or targeted compliance checks.
Loss of weight during transport
All animals transported to slaughter will suffer some loss of
live weight during the journey. This loss is greater than that
which would be lost solely by fasting for a similar period
and is due mainly to a loss of water by sweating and respira-
tion and waste materials in the urine and faeces. The factors
affecting this loss are bodily condition, state of repletion,
season and journey time. Pigs will lose 2.2-5.4 kg of their
live weight (4-6% of body weight) during 24 hours' trans-
port Lambrooij (2007); sheep lose 0.9-1.8 kg if kept in a
lairage for 24 hours and up to 3.6 kg during transport; a calf
