Ireland is fully supportive of proposals for the improvement of animal welfare during transport and it is regrettable that the Council of Ministers could not agree on the detailed rules in the matter at recent meetings. The main difficulty at the most recent meeting was objections by most member states to a Presidency compromise that would allow individual member states to impose separate national limits on the maximum length of journey for animals destined for slaughter.
I have indicated to the Council that I am open to any reasonable compromise which would emerge to improve the rules for the welfare of animals being transported so long as we have the same opportunity as other member states to supply livestock to export outlets.
I also consider that a journey limit on its own should not be seen as the full solution; the entire range of controls to protect the welfare of the animals needs to be taken into account with a view to a comprehensive improvement in animal welfare.