Eyes on Animals offers trainings to the Belgian and Dutch highway police on the EU legislation protecting animals during transport

Why? So that there are more "eyes" on animals.  NGO's can only do so much on their own. The EU animal transport legislation was created to protect animals from suffering during transport.  But without regular enforcement this legislation risks being ignored.  Once transport companies acknowledge that they could be stopped and fined by the police they will think twice before violating the animal welfare regulations.  This is extremely important when one considers that animals are often on the road for hours and even days before arriving at their destination.  Eyes on Animals has witnessed animals on board livestock trucks with broken legs, others with so little room that they cannot stand up or lie down properly, animals that fight constantly during the journey and ought to be separated and also very young animals that do not know how to use the unfamiliar drinking devices on the trucks, and thus become weak and dehydrated.  A law is only as effective as its enforcement, and Eyes on Animals highly promotes the enforcement of animal welfare laws.
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How? The Eyes on Animals police trainings are made up of two parts.  The theoretical training consists of a Power Point presentation covering all aspects of the EU animal transport legislation, and a multiple-choice test followed by an open question and answer period.


We always ask the official veterinarian from the pertinent Ministry of Agriculture to also take an active part in these trainings, not only because they add interesting input into the discussion, but also in the hope that the police and the local veterinarian will stay in contact to assist eachother in the future once the police stop livestock trucks on their own.

Each police officer is also given an Eyes on Animals training manual, approved and stamped by the Belgian Ministry of Health and Food Safety.  This manual is designed as a check-list that covers all the important points to verify during an inspection. It helps the police officer easily conduct a thorough inspection. (Eyes on Animals wishes to thank the Belgian Ministry of Health and Food Safety for paying for the printing of 1000 copies of this brochure).
In exchange for an online donation of 10 euros to Eyes on Animals, you can request an electronic version of our brochure.  When completing the donation form please specify that the donation is for the brochure (by typing "brochure F" when you want it in French and "brochure N" when you want it in Dutch in the space of the form where one normally types their middle initial in). You will receive the brochure within 10 days to your email address. Click here to make the donation and request.


Later in the day is the practical component of the training.  A "control point" is set up along the highway or national road nearby.  All passing livestock vehicles are pulled over.  The police can then put their knowledge gained during the theory training into practice, and the Eyes on Animals inspectors are there to assist them should they have any doubts.