In the course of the revision of the EU regulation on the protection of animals during transport, we are once again addressing the co-legislators in the EU - with a dossier on the problems with so-called Ro-Ro ferry transports.
In Ro-Ro ferry transports, the animals are shipped across the sea on board trucks which are loaded on Ro-Ro. This means that the animals remain in the trucks during the entire transport at sea. Some of these Ro-Ro ferry transport routes are extremely long and can even take more than two days, e.g. from southern Spain to the Canary Islands. Additionally, there are the journeys of animals on board the trucks to and from the ports, the waiting times in the ports, etc. The animals are often confined in the trucks for days on end.
Concerning the transport of animals at sea and on Ro-Ro ferries, the EU Commission’s proposal for a new Regulation on the protection of animals during transport proposes that the counting of the journey time at sea shall be suspended. Animals’ Angels clearly disagrees with this provision in the proposal.
Here are the reasons why:
Transport stressors for the animals continue at sea.
Transport stressors and animal welfare hazards increase with duration of journey time –this also applies to Ro-Ro ferry transports.
No emergency measures are possible in case of sick or injured animals during Ro-Ro ferry transports.
No proper access and no unloading of animals is possible on board the Ro-Ro ferries in cases of emergency.
No veterinarian is available during Ro-Ro ferry journeys.
There is no limitation of the time the animals are confined on board the trucks during Ro-Ro ferry journeys.
The proposal on Ro-Ro ferry transports is not in line with latest science.
The proposal on Ro-Ro ferry transports is not providing resting periods for the animals after sea journeys.
The proposal on Ro-Ro ferry transports is not preventing the circumvention of road transport time limits.
Outdated rules must be adapted to the animals’ needs.
In conclusion, this proposal on sea/Ro-Ro ferry transports is not enough as it does not prevent the animals from suffering. Therefore, Animals’ Angels demands that:
The journey time at sea must be considered in the context of a complete journey, together with the journey times on the road. The time that the animals spend at sea must not be considered as “resting time”!
The transport of unweaned animals shall not be permitted on Ro-Ro ferries except the total journey time from the loading of the first animal and including the journey time at sea until the unloading of the animals at the destination does not exceed eight hours and the truck is equipped with a feeding system appropriate for unweaned animals.
In our opinion, allowing the transport of animals confined for days on board the trucks which are loaded onto Ro-Ro ferries without a time limit and calling this a ‘rest period’ for the animals is not only out of date and does not respect the welfare needs of the animals, but also contradicts scientific findings, disregards societal expectations and falls far short ethical considerations on the protection of animals during transport.
Have a look at our dossier: www.animals-angels.de/dossier-journeytimes-roro-ferries
