EC set to relax animal transport proposals

EUROPEAN Commission proposals to restrict journey times and distances for animals in transit to a maximum of eight hours or 500km are likely to be eased.

The hint came from David Byrne, commissioner for health and consumer protection, who said this week that there must be a balance between advocates of a complete ban on live animal transport and those demanding the status quo.

His concern was to propose rules that would improve animal welfare and be accepted by European Union member states. But the eight hours/500km proposal did not have backing from the Scientific Committee for Animal Welfare and was likely to be blocked by farm ministers.

That would not improve animal welfare, said Byrne, and he did not intend to propose it, in spite of "massive pressure" from animal welfare organisations.

However, he made it clear that there is room for improvement in transport rules and will propose changes to stocking density on lorries and ships, treatment of animals at loading and unloading, marketplace conditions at assembly points, the training and supervision of drivers and animal handlers and the registration and supervision of hauliers.

In spite of the caveats, Jim Walker, chairman of Quality Meat Scotland, who as president of NFU Scotland argued strongly against the original proposals, said: "This is good news for the livestock industry, especially in Scotland. The original proposals would have created huge problems and made it very difficult, if not impossible, to operate many Highland and Island sales.

WITH more than 7,000 livestock farmers still waiting for subsidy payments, NFU Scotland has asked the Executive for an all-industry meeting.

The problem is cross-checking of livestock movement records, which the department must make to ensure that British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) data is consistent with its own information before subsidy claims can be paid.

John Kinnaird, NFU Scotland president, said: "Recurrence of cross-checking problems on a similar scale to 2002 is unacceptable. The frustration and anger felt by many farmers is palpable, particularly when errors are not their fault."

Warning that a cross-checking debacle threatened to become an annual nightmare, he said the Executive must get all stakeholders round a table as soon as possible.

Although errors in movement records - an estimated 70,000 out of more than one million recorded last year - can be mistakes by the Executive, BCMS, markets or slaughterhouses as well as farmers, the burden of proof is on farmers.

FARMERS and the meat processing industry in Scotland have reached agreement on carcase dressing specifications as applied to price-reporting abattoirs. They are now trying to convince Brussels that the system used for the past eight years is preferable to the one Europe is trying to impose.