The Chairman of the European Party “Europe of Sovereign Nations” and Leader of the “Vazrazhdane“ Delegation in the European Parliament - Stanislav Stoyanov, participated in a meeting to exchange views with the European Food Safety Authority and the European Court of Auditors on the proposal for a regulation “Protection of animals during transport and related operations“.
“High standards of animal welfare are a prerequisite for ethical and sustainable practices in agriculture. But for them to make sense, they must not lead to the closure of production and their replacement with imports from third countries.
The key word is balance, said Stanislav Stoyanov during the joint meeting of the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Transport in the European Parliament.
Stoyanov warned of a lack of clarity regarding some provisions in the regulation, for example the use of formulations such as “sufficient“ and “appropriate“. “On what principle is “sufficient space“ determined? for animals and on what scientific evidence is it based?“, Stoyanov asked.
He also noted that a uniform approach could not be applied across the EU regarding temperature control during animal transport, as climatic and infrastructure conditions vary from country to country.
“Regarding the duration of journeys: this measure would disadvantage countries that are geographically more remote, have more mountainous areas or do not have adequate infrastructure.“, Stoyanov said.
The requirement for a veterinarian to be present during loading and unloading of vehicles is also unrealistic and will lead to additional complications. “There is a shortage of veterinarians in many areas, especially in rural areas.“, Stoyanov also noted.
Stoyanov is one of the rapporteurs on behalf of the European Parliament on the European Commission's proposed regulation “Protection of animals during transport and related operations“, which is due to be considered in the coming months.