Victory for animal welfare – MEPs vote for inquiry committee on animal transport

Today (Friday 19 June), after long-standing calls from the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament, MEPs have just voted in favour of setting up a committee of inquiry into animal transport. Every year, around one and a half billion pigs, cows and other animals are transported for days in cramped conditions across the European Union and to third countries, often without adequate water supplies and at unbearable temperatures. These transport conditions are reportedly often in breach of EU law.The Commission and the Member States have not been doing their part in making sure the rules on animal welfare are respected.

Tilly Metz MEP, Greens/EFA Member of the Agricultural Committee and one of the initiators of the inquiry committee, comments:

"Cruelty to animals, blatant violations of animal welfare rules, and the responsibility of the European Commission and EU governments must be thoroughly investigated. Citizens can no longer tolerate the outrageous horrors on animal transports across the European Union and to third countries. 

"We Greens/EFA will work hard to shed light on infringements and liabilities so that the suffering of animals is brought to an end. The regulation for the protection of animals during transport needs to be fundamentally reformed. We need shorter transport times, stricter controls and tougher penalties."

More:

The European Parliament has now adopted the following new special/sub/inquiry committees:

• Special Committee on foreign interference in all democratic processes in the European Union, including disinformation
• Special Committee on beating cancer
• Special Committee on artificial intelligence and the digital transformation
• Subcommittee on taxation
• Committee of inquiry on animal transport

The Greens/EFA group will have three full and three substitute seats in each of the new committees.