Released to press on 02 June 2011
OneKind and Scottish MEP David Martin have today pledged their support for 8Hours, an EU-wide campaign to bring an end to the long distance transportation of farmed animals for slaughter.
The campaign is collecting 1,000,000 signatures calling for 8 hour maximum journeys, and has already achieved over a quarter of this figure (251,356). People in Scotland can sign up to the campaign and find out more via the OneKind website.
Libby Anderson, Policy Director at OneKind, said: “In Europe around six million farmed animals, including calves, cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and horses are transported each year. The most important issue affecting their welfare is the length of the journeys. Current legislation which allows animals to be transported hundreds and even thousands of miles, often from country to country, by road, rail, sea or air for several days must be changed.
“Animals for slaughter should never be transported for more than eight hours to their final destination. It is widely accepted that animals should be fattened and slaughtered as near as possible to home and that the transportation of live animals should be replaced by a trade in meat. The EU Transport Regulation is to be reviewed shortly. A million signature petition could help bring an end to the long journeys which criss-cross Europe and cause so much suffering.”
David Martin MEP, OneKind’s Vice-President and Vice-President of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on Animal Welfare, said: “I am more than happy to support, sign and encourage all Scots and Europeans to sign this petition calling for an 8 hour journey limit for farmed animals to slaughter. Wouldn’t it be a great testament to the common humanity of the citizens of the European Union if we achieved an 8 hour limit on travel of farmed animals to slaughter through people power? Please sign up, it’s as easy as pressing a button but would be of tremendous benefit to our fellow creatures”.
Long distance transport can involve cramming animals onto overcrowded vehicles which can cause injuries or animals getting trampled to death. Many animals die as a result of exhaustion and dehydration due to extreme temperatures, insufficient food, water or rest.
Moving live animals long distances to markets and slaughterhouses can also spread infectious diseases between animals. As animals are transported from country to country, with few medical checks, diseases such as foot and mouth disease and bluetongue can spread over great distances at an alarming rate.
In 2002, the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare concluded that animal journeys, as a ground rule, should be as short as possible. This recommendation is, however, not reflected in the current EU legislation.
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For further information please contact Fin Robertson at OneKind on 0131 225 6039 or 07590 428845. fin.robertson@onekind.org
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