• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • EYES ON ANIMALS – Watching out for their Welfare
  • English
  • Nederlands
  • Deutsch

Eyes on Animals

Watching out for their Welfare

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
DONATE
  • About us
    • What we do
    • Our team
    • Key Figures
    • Contact
  • News
    • Latest news
    • Good news
    • Bad news
    • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Inspections
    • Farms
    • Markets
    • Transports
    • Slaughterhouses
    • Special projects
    • Other
  • Training
    • Police
    • Truck drivers
    • Poultry-catchers
    • Slaughter personnel
    • Training Material
    • Request a training
  • Industry Tips
    • Animal transport
      • Cattle
      • Pigs
      • Poultry
    • Slaughterhouses
      • Cattle
      • Pigs
      • Poultry
      • Ritual slaughter
    • Educational videos
  • Publications
    • In the media
      • Print
      • Television
      • Radio
      • Videos
    • Newsletters
    • Special reports
    • Training Material
    • Annual reviews
  • Future Vision
  • Help us
Home » Featured » IMPORTANT NEWS: Transport of unweaned calves by truck and ferry from Ireland to France systematically violates EU feeding intervals

IMPORTANT NEWS: Transport of unweaned calves by truck and ferry from Ireland to France systematically violates EU feeding intervals

June 15, 2020

In a response to our questions, the EU Commission confirms that there is no derogation to the feeding intervals in the case of animals transported on RORO (roll-on roll-off) vessels. Animals transported on journeys including a RORO must be fed at the same frequency as ones transported solely by road. This means the journeys of unweaned calves being trucked from farms in Ireland to Irish harbours and then ferried to Cherbourg, France are indeed illegal. These calves are going from door to door 23 and up to 29 hours in total without being fed, whereas the EU law stipulates feeding unweaned animals after 18hours maximum.

Unweaned Calves

The EU confirms that the exemption in point 1.7(a) of the EC 1/2005 specifically only refers to journey times and rest periods, and the requirement 1.3 and 1.4, such as watering and feeding intervals, must still apply to transport by sea. Point 1.7 (b) refers only to journey times and resting periods without altering the meaning of point 1.7(A) regarding watering and feeding intervals.

Unlike weaned animals, which can technically be fed on board the vehicle by placing hay inside the vehicle, unweaned animals cannot yet eat forage and are dependent on milk or milk replacer to get the nutrition they need and feeling of satiation. Because this is impossible to do on board a truck, and is not being done by any of the transporters, unweaned calves (and other unweaned animals like kids and lambs) can never be kept on board a vehicle for longer than 18hrs in total. Technically, even leaving them on board for longer than 9hrs is illegal, as the law stipulates that after 9 hrs unweaned animals must receive their first water break, and if necessary be fed. Although the trucks do have a water system, it is known that not all unweaned calves know how to use it or can use it and in any case, they never can be fed milk or milk replacer either during this first break, despite it being mandatory when the calves need it.

  1. Question to EU Commission about feeding intervals applying on roll on roll off for unweaned animals
  2. Response of the EU Commision on our question
  • share 
  • tweet 
  • share 
  • save 
  • email 

Primary Sidebar

Featured

Eyes on Animals asks industry to take measures against cold stress

Eyes on Animals has sent a letter to Dutch organizations Vee&Logistiek (representing animal … [Read More...] about Eyes on Animals asks industry to take measures against cold stress

Animal Welfare Animation

Positive Development in Better Monitoring Animal Handling in Slaughterhouses – AI Camera Surveillance

Deloitte, together with Eyes on Animals, the Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals (de … [Read More...] about Positive Development in Better Monitoring Animal Handling in Slaughterhouses – AI Camera Surveillance

Featured

The Forgotten Ones video play buttonNew film by Eyes on Animals, with the support of several international animal-welfare organizations, about the forgotten victims of virus outbreaks.

Search

Our most recent newsletter

Dear friends,

Great news! All of our efforts over the past seven years at stimulating a real change within the dairy industry are starting to pay off. This past week we held a conference with Dutch dairy farmers that keep their calves with their mothers about creating a “calf with mother” label for their dairy and meat…

Read more…

Subscribe to our newsletter

ANBI

Footer

Donate with Paypal

Paypal Eyes on Animals
One-time donation:
Monthly donation:

Reading Material

  • In the Media
  • Newsletters
  • Special EonA reports
  • Legislative texts
  • ANBI

Our Amsterdam Office

Amsterdam House Hotel
Eyes on Animals main office is in downtown Amsterdam, at the Amsterdam House Hotel. The generous and warm-hearted hotel owner donated to Eyes on Animals, free of charge, a beautiful room where our inspectors can work, hold meetings and store their material.

Copyright © 2021 · Eyes on Animals | Website by Webkompaan