Question 30507 — animals

Summary

Mr. Guillaume Vuilletet alerts the Minister of Agriculture and Food to the worrying, sometimes appalling, conditions of maritime export of livestock. The study carried out in 2017 by two NGOs, the very critical report published in May 2020 by the European Commission on this subject and recent news (dead animals washed up on Israeli beaches, etc.) are all signals which paint a dark picture of the maritime transport of animals. Each year, the European Union exports 3 million cattle and sheep by sea. In France, 146,000 animals passed through the port of Sète in 2019 to third countries around the Mediterranean, where they joined fattening centers or slaughterhouses. In 2018, France exported 2.5 million live animals, mainly within the European Union (Spain and Italy in particular), according to statistics from the Ministry of agriculture. Exports to third countries, mainly around the Mediterranean, are in the minority (nearly 100,000 animals in 2018), but the market is on the rise, with imports from these countries having doubled in six years. The European Commission's report is an observation of helplessness: "currently, neither the Member States nor the Commission have information or statistics on the state of health and well-being of animals during sea voyages,” the Commission wrote. Despite the absence of health supervision on boats, European regulations on animal protection are supposed to apply throughout the duration of transport, until the point of arrival. This principle was reaffirmed by the European Court of Justice in 2015. However, once on board, controls are almost non-existent. During sea voyages, between five and twelve days in average, animals are exposed to numerous thermal risks with rising temperatures, to injuries in overcrowded and unsuitable enclosures, with watering, lighting and ventilation systems often faulty, and to lack of care, because the legislation does not require the presence of a veterinarian on board. The ministry states that France has started to obtain the communication of reports of mortality and injuries posteriori, all of which indicated zero mortality. The creation of these reports, given the opacity that reigns during journeys, may be questionable. In addition, the European Commission has deemed the inspection procedures of most Member States, including France, insufficient and on-board checks, it emphasizes, rarely lead to a refusal of transport. Worse, the Brussels report indicates that even when deficiencies were noted, “the ship was authorized to transport animals”. The Commission describes “strong pressure from exporters” on veterinarians to authorize shipments. The MP suggests the establishment of strict provisions specific to maritime transport and that at European level, France supports the initiative of six Member States (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden) in in favor of an upward revision of the 2005 European regulation. The MP also defends the establishment of several measures: the presence of an animal protection officer for the entire duration of transport at sea, a single authority of experts for the approval of ships. Why not also ban the export of animals to countries that cannot guarantee compliance with European and French standards? animal welfare. The question of food sovereignty, coming out of confinement, is also essential. The MP raises the idea of ​​restructuring the French sector for fattening cattle in France in order to export meat rather than live animals. He wants to know his position on the subject.

Machine translation from French. The official text remains authoritative.

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