EU: Why the live animal transport industry urgently needs change

Every year, millions of animals make arduous journeys both within and outside Europe. These sentient beings, transported by land and sea, have few rules to protect their welfare, especially when exported to countries outside the EU . It is vital that EU transport regulations are modernised and strengthened, and that policymakers consider moving towards trade that no longer requires live animals. “Animal welfare is non-negotiable. Every living being deserves to be treated with dignity and respect,” says Aida Gascón, director of AnimaNaturalis in Spain, a member organisation of Eurogroup for Animals and part of efforts to improve EU animal welfare rules.

The EU live animal transport industry is fraught with problems. Not only does the sector negatively impact the welfare of countless animals, but it also results in repeated tragedies. Ships are held up at borders for days, leaving animals without food or water. Careless workers result in injuries, exposure to extreme temperatures, and more. Sea voyages are carried out on dangerous vessels that do not meet even the most basic animal welfare standards.

At Eurogroup for Animals, we have been fighting for change in this troubled industry for years, and the EU has finally responded. EU policymakers have been working on the Transport Regulations – legislation that affects the welfare of all animals transported – since December 2023, but unfortunately their initial proposal to update these laws is not strong enough, nor are subsequent amendments. 

As the Bill moves through the legislative process, it is vital that these proposals are further adapted to ensure that the welfare needs of animals that they currently face in this sector are adequately met. Ideally, EU policymakers will also focus on alternatives to live animal transport, so that no live animal has to endure long and difficult journeys that are inherently unnatural for it.

Some quick facts about transporting live animals to the EU

In 2022:

• 1,562,618,904 sheep, cattle , poultry and pigs were transported live within the EU and from the EU to non-EU countries;
• Poultry accounted for 97% of total live animal exports, making it the most traded livestock species. The main exporters of poultry meat to the EU were Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland .

Additionally, in 2019: 

• A total of 57,523 tonnes of live fish were reported to have been exported from the EU, of which 93% were sent to other Member States;
• 87,817 horses, donkeys, mules and barks were transported alive throughout the EU and to other countries around the world.

What further changes need to be made to the EU Transport Regulation? Animals are currently subjected to unnecessary suffering during transport due to significant gaps in the current legislation. These considerations are also not sufficiently taken into account by politicians in the proposed update of these laws:

• Inadequate travel time restrictions, allowing journeys to last several days (while the transport proposal partially addresses this problem, it does not include sea transport during this time, which would theoretically allow animals to remain at sea for weeks or even months);
• Allowed to transport "animals unsuitable for transport" including late-stage pregnant animals, injured animals and young animals;
• It still allows the export of animals to third countries where the animals are not protected by EU animal welfare laws;

No specific welfare conditions are established for specific species of animals, meaning that the individual needs of the different species of animals transported, such as poultry, rabbits, cattle , sheep and pigs, are not adequately met. 

The live animal transport sector is the cause of countless tragedies around the world.

Over the years, the transport industry has seen several tragedies. In 2024 , 69 pregnant heifers suffered a horrific fate: they were stuck at the Bulgarian-Turkish border for more than four weeks. Earlier that year, bulls were held up at a Moroccan port for 19 days due to bureaucratic problems, where they suffered horribly. 

In 2020, the Gulf Livestock 1 sank off the coast of Japan en route to China , taking with it nearly 6,000 animals. In 2019, more than 14,000 sheep were left to die in the Black Sea after a ship capsized en route to Saudi Arabia. In 2024, the Animal Welfare Fund reported on animals being thrown overboard from transport ships and washed up on shore, and Essere Animali documented pigs suffering in temperatures of nearly 50 degrees Celsius in transport trucks abandoned by workers.

Vulnerable animals are also transported, even if they are not fit for long journeys. Last year, several NGOs signed open letters to the European Commission and the ferry company Stena Line demanding that they stop transporting unweaned calves from Ireland to France. The animals were not fed during this long journey, which is a violation of EU law. Similarly, pregnant dairy cows are transported en masse to Algeria from Ireland, exposed to great danger both during the journey and on arrival.

The lack of welfare standards and enforcement in the live animal transport industry is actively harming countless living beings. This cannot continue.

What changes are needed in the live animal transport sector?

Improving animal welfare in the live animal transport industry is a matter of democratic importance. In the 2023 Eurobarometer survey, citizens across the EU demanded stricter transport laws. In particular, 83% of respondents said that travel times for live animals transported within or from the EU (for commercial purposes) should be limited. Similarly, the results of the public consultation on live animal transport published in September 2024 show that citizens overwhelmingly support the introduction of stricter animal welfare rules during transport within the EU; in terms of protecting vulnerable animals, improving general welfare conditions for all animals, banning certain modes of transport, etc.

This public opinion is strongly supported by official bodies. In 2022, the European Food Safety Authority published its recommendations to improve animal welfare in the transport of live animals, which include reducing travel times and giving animals more space to move around. In 2023, the European Court of Auditors launched an audit of the transport of live animals, concluding that structural changes in the industry and greater attention to animal welfare provisions are needed. 

In our own recommendations for changes to the live animal transport sector, we call for maximum journey times for specific species and a ban on the transport of certain vulnerable animals, including calves and piglets under eight weeks of age, sheep and goats under six weeks of age, and pregnant animals that are more than 40% pregnant. 

We also demand a complete ban on the export of live animals to third countries where they cannot be protected by EU animal welfare legislation. It is encouraging that a number of countries have already made progress in this area; among them New Zealand and Luxembourg, which in 2022 banned the export of live animals to third countries for slaughter. More recently, in 2024, the United Kingdom also decided to ban the export of live animals, meaning that farmed animals can no longer be exported for slaughter or fattening. Since the welfare of animals exported outside Member States cannot be guaranteed, a complete ban on this type of transport is the only logical solution.

"Modernizing regulations and taking preventative measures are critical to preventing further tragedies. We can no longer allow bureaucracy to put the lives of sentient beings at risk," Gascon emphasizes.

The EU must not miss this opportunity to reform the transport of live animals for the benefit of all.

The live animal transport industry affects the fate of many living creatures and has a huge impact on their welfare. Only bold and feasible changes to the Transport Regulations can truly help them in this sector, or better yet, a move to meat and carcass trade, which would mean that no live animal ever has to undergo this process. “We must invest in alternatives to live animal transport, prioritising animal welfare at every stage of the process. It’s time to leave behind an outdated and painful system,” stresses Gascon.

This ambitious change would revolutionise transport from a welfare perspective, and there are strong economic reasons for EU policymakers to consider it. Following the example of other countries that have already started moving in this direction, such as the UK , European policymakers should take this opportunity to demonstrate a genuine commitment to animals by going beyond minimum welfare requirements and adopting alternative systems to replace the problematic live animal transport trade.