The EU Commissioner for Animal Welfare Olivér Várhelyi has responded to a letter from animal welfare NGOs about the plight of calves transported by truck on ferries from Ireland to the EU.The
The EU Commissioner for Animal Welfare Olivér Várhelyi has responded to a letter from animal welfare NGOs about the plight of calves transported by truck on ferries from Ireland to the EU.
The letter detailed three separate studies which found that the calves were negatively impacted, suffering from dehydration, muscle fatigue, low energy, and hypoglycaemia.
The Commissioner invited the NGOs to a meeting which was attended by Caroline Rowley from Ethical Farming Ireland (EFI) and Vinciane Patelou from Compassion in World Farming.
The discussion centered on how calves cannot be fed during the ferry journey from Ireland to France, that studies have shown this causes harm and suffering, and that currently there is no truck in existence that can feed calves during transport.
In 2022, the European Commission conducted an audit on the export of unweaned calves from Ireland to France, and the report stresses that these journeys are being carried out in breach of EC Regulation 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport because the calves are not being fed after the maximum 19 hour time limit.
The Commissioner agreed that it has been a long time since the audit was concluded, and there has been no advancement
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