The EU Commissioner for Animal Welfare Olivér Várhelyi has responded to a letter from animal welfare NGOs about the plight of calves transported by truck on ferries from Ireland to the EU.
The letter detailed three separate studies which found that the calves were negatively impacted, suffering from dehydration, muscle fatigue, low energy, and hypoglycaemia.
The Commissioner invited the NGOs to a meeting which was attended by Caroline Rowley from Ethical Farming Ireland (EFI) and Vinciane Patelou from Compassion in World Farming.
The discussion centered on how calves cannot be fed during the ferry journey from Ireland to France, that studies have shown this causes harm and suffering, and that currently there is no truck in existence that can feed calves during transport.
In 2022, the European Commission conducted an audit on the export of unweaned calves from Ireland to France, and the report stresses that these journeys are being carried out in breach of EC Regulation 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport because the calves are not being fed after the maximum 19 hour time limit.
The Commissioner agreed that it has been a long time since the audit was concluded, and there has been no advancement in feeding systems during transport. He stated that the law must be adhered to by all Member States in relation to calf export. There was also discussion around the fact that only 10% of calves are exported, and the dairy sector is not dependent on live export, says EFI.
“EU citizens have an expectation that laws will be enforced, otherwise there is no point in having them. It cannot be denied that these journeys are causing harm and suffering to hundreds of thousands of unweaned calves and it cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely, in the hope that one day a truck might be developed than can feed calves. We are very grateful to Commissioner Varhelyi for inviting us to meet with him to discuss our concerns,” said Rowley.
There will be a follow up in a couple of weeks.
Meanwhile, on September 27, EFI held a protest at Cork Port, where Brittany Ferries has a sailing to France. The ferry company allows transport of calves on its ferries.
On September 28, Compassion in World Farming held a protest outside the Brittany Ferries office at Portsmouth port.
On September 29, a third protest took place when Compassion in World Farming France, Four Paws, Welfarm and L214 gathered in front of the headquarters of Brittany Ferries in France with another open letter signed by 11 NGOs. A meeting with the CEO Christophe Mathieu was arranged, and EFI says their demands were listened to, but no commitments were made. Another meeting is planned in November to continue discussions.
Marie Waniowski, Campaigns Manager at FOUR PAWS, said “The meeting with the CEO of Brittany Ferries is a promising first step. Our organizations were able to make the voices of citizens concerned about animal welfare and the more than 80% of French people opposed to the transport of unweaned calves on ferries heard.”
