Farm Animal Welfare Committee's opinion on the welfare of animals during transport: consultation

Part II - Background information

Current Legislation

The current EU legislation on the welfare of animals during transport is Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005, which applies to all vertebrate animals that are transported in connection with an economic activity. The requirements of this legislation will be retained in UK legislation and will continue to apply after EU exit and the end of the implementation period. Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 is administered and enforced in Scotland through the Welfare of Animals (Transport) (Scotland) Regulations 2006.

Call for Evidence and Systematic Review

As a first step in reviewing the current welfare in transport regulation, Defra and the Devolved Administrations launched a call for evidence in 2018 to seek views and gather further evidence on controlling live exports for slaughter and other improvements to animal welfare during transport.

The call for evidence sought factual information about the transport of live animals, views on how well current regulatory requirements protect animal welfare in transport and what reforms could be justified in terms of animal welfare.

In parallel to the call for evidence, a systematic review on the welfare of animals during transport was commissioned by Defra on behalf of Defra and the Devolved Administrations.

This research was conducted by Scotland’s Rural University College (SRUC) and University of Edinburgh (UoE). Evidence and information from the call for evidence and the systematic review fed into FAWC’s Opinion. The systematic review presented scientific literature which indicated which welfare improvements could be made for animals during transport.