The report A data dump of suffering: the EU’s long-distance trade in farm animals exposed, released by the animal protection NGOs Eurogroup for Animals and Compassion in World Farming, reveals analyses a cache of previously unpublished EU records relating to the long-distance transportation of 180,000 consignments of farmed animals within and from the EU during a 19-month period from October 2021 to April 2023.

It reveals disturbing details of the extent and nature of suffering endured by around 44 million farmed cattle, sheep, pigs and other animals transported annually. The report shows that the EU’s journey records were incomplete, often inaccurate and vastly underestimate the sheer extent of the length and duration of many journeys. Around 60% of journeys are shown as starting at assembly centres but animals may have been transported from the farm of origin for many hours prior to this without any requirement for this to be logged. Many transporters practise ‘assembly centre hopping’, avoiding the requirement for animals to be given 24 hours mid-journey rest before resuming their journey.

This release comes just days before the publication of the European Commission’s (EC) proposal on animal transport on 7 December. However, the EC has failed to publish the other proposals it committed to present as part of a more comprehensive revision of the animal welfare legislation, including the ban on caged animal farming, which was expected by September 2023. The two NGOs are calling on the EU to ban the export of live animals from the EU to non-EU countries, to switch to a trade in meat and carcasses only, and to introduce tougher rules to protect the welfare of animals on journeys within the EU. This call for greater protection for farmed animals’ welfare during transportation is supported by the majority of European citizens. The 2023 Special Eurobarometer found that eight out of ten Europeans think the travel time for the commercial transport of live animals within or from the EU should be limited1 and an overwhelming nine out of ten people believe it’s important to protect the welfare of farmed animals.

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EU maakt geen einde aan dierenleed verre veetransporten

True horror of EU live animal transport masked in official records