Answer given by Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission

31.7.2023

The scientific opinions of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) referred to by the Honourable Member were published in support of the ongoing revision of the EU animal welfare legislation[1] and they will be taken into account during the said process.

While the existing legislation does not fully reflect these opinions, they are valuable to the competent authorities of the Member States to analyse the risks for the welfare of the animals and to prevent poor health and welfare consequences and properly implement the current legislation.

Member States are responsible for the implementation and enforcement of EU legislation.

Nevertheless, in its role as guardian of the Treaties, the Commission monitors the implementation of EU law and ensures its uniform application throughout the EU. The Commission services will continue to work with the network of national contact points for animal transport and to monitor the situation during the summer.

The Commission also encourages the Member States to take precautionary measures, suspend, or substantially reduce the transport of animals over long journeys during summertime.

To this end, as every summer, the Commission recently sent a letter to Chief Veterinary Officers (CVOs) of all the Member States and some third countries about the perils of animal transportation during periods of high temperatures.

CVOs are encouraged to advise the transporters under their jurisdiction to limit the transport of live animals or to look for alternatives such as transporting during night-time.

• [1] https://food.ec.europa.eu/animals/animal-welfare/evaluations-and-impact-assessment/revision-animal-welfare-legislation_en