Since Member States could not find agreement on a revision of existing maximum travelling times and animal stocking densities on vehicles, the Commission agreed that these two issues will be the subject of a further separate proposal to be presented not later than 4 years after the entry into force of the Regulation and to be prepared in the light of the outcomes of enforcement of the new rules by the Member States. The Regulation will enter into force by 2007.

The Regulation foresees future deadlines by which the Commission will take initiatives on several matters such as better defining the microclimate conditions in the road vehicles and the specifications for the use of navigation systems.

In parallel the EU has signed the Council of Europe European Convention for the protection of animals during International Transport.

Main elements of the new Regulation

(1)  Taking care of the whole transport chain

The Regulation introduces new rules to deal with situations before and after transport, for example at farms, livestock markets, slaughterhouses and harbours.

• Larger scope and clearer responsibilities

The new text is a Regulation to ensure harmonisation across all Member States avoiding some national interpretation and hence divergence. Responsibility for the welfare of the animals will be more clearly defined at each stage during transport.

• Training

Training is of paramount importance to ensure proper enforcement by the operators. The Regulation will require that drivers and attendants hold a certificate of competence. The certificate will be obtained after detailed training on the welfare aspects of transport and having passed an independent examination.

• Livestock markets and collection centres

The Regulation will introduce new rules for livestock markets. In addition to the training of personnel, the Regulation will make livestock market operators fully responsible for the welfare of the animals. They will also be responsible for the introduction and monitoring of these rules on their premises.

(2)  Improved enforcement

The Regulation identifies the chain of all those involved in animal transport and "who is responsible for what" during animal transport. It introduces efficient enforcement tools such as checks on vehicles via the compulsory use of a satellite navigation system

• Transporters' authorisations and satellite navigation system for long journeys

The Regulation will introduce two types of authorisations depending whether transporters are operating long journeys or not.

Whatever the journey length, transporters will have to demonstrate that they have appropriate staff and equipment to transport animals in a proper way. They should not have any record of serious infringements with regard to animal welfare legislation in the preceding 5 years. The authorisation will be re-evaluated every 5 years.

In addition transporters operating long journeys will have to comply with detailed procedures to deal with emergency situations and to trace vehicle movements with the compulsory use of a navigation system from 1 January 2007, for new vehicles, and from 2009 for existing vehicles. Navigation systems on board the vehicles will allow competent authorities to verify the compliance with the rules on travel and resting periods as well as with the route plan initially declared to the authorities.

Transporters and vehicles operating long journeys will be registered in a specific electronic database accessible to authorities of all Member States.

• Withdrawal of authorisation and approval

The Regulation will provide for the possibility for the authorities to withdraw the authorisation of transporters that have committed serious infringements with regard to animal welfare legislation. The certificates of approval for vehicles used for long journeys could also be withdrawn in cases of non-compliance.

• Journey log

Better enforcement as regards long journeys will be enabled by the requirement for a journey log when the journey is longer than 8 hours when a border is crossed. Records from the navigation system on board will be used to verify that journey limits and rest times are respected.

An assessment of the condition of the animals at the end of the journey will be required

• Harmonised format for certificates

The Regulation will oblige transporters to carry certificates when animals are transported, including: details of the animals being transported, transporter's authorisation, certificate of approval for the vehicle (in the case of long journeys) and a certificate of competence for drivers and attendants. All documents will be issued in harmonised formats in the EU in order to facilitate checks.

• Contact points in each Member State

In order to facilitate the exchange of information between authorities, the Regulation will require the identification of a contact point on animal transport in each Member State. Infringements by transporters and withdrawal of authorisation will be routinely notified to all contact points concerned so as to prevent repeated or serious offenders continuing to operate.

(3)  Upgraded standards

The Regulation will also introduce much stricter standards for journeys of more than 8 hours, including domestic transport within a Member State.

• Upgraded lorries for long journeys

Vehicles will have to be approved according to specific standards and registered in an electronic database so as to facilitate the carrying out of checks by competent authorities. The new Regulation will provide for on-vehicle drinking systems. temperature monitoring and recording data and a system to alert the driver to potential problems.

In addition from 2007, new vehicles, and from 2009, all vehicles used to transport animals for long journeys over 8 hours will have to be equipped with a satellite navigation system as to trace them and verify the compliance with travel times limits for animals.

• Transport of horsess

The Regulation introduces the systematic use of individual stalls for horses transported on long journeys.

• Definition for animals unfit for transport / banning the transport of young animals

The Regulation will introduce a ban on transporting very young animals (i.e. calves of less than 10 days of age, pigs of less than three weeks and lambs of less than one week) except if the journey is less than 100 km.

The transport of calves of less than 14 days of age on journeys exceeding 8 hours will not be permitted.

Pregnant female animals will not be considered fit for transport if they have reached the latest stage of gestation (within 10% of the estimated time of the gestation before birth) and for a period of one week after giving birth.

• Livestock vessels

Livestock vessels leaving from the EU will have to be approved according to specific welfare standards in line with welfare standards applied in some countries outside the EU.

(4)  Future initiatives

Travel times and space allowances are unchanged in the new Regulation.

However the Regulation foresees that the Commission shall provide a report within 4 years after the date of its entry into force on the impact of the Regulation on the welfare of the animals being transported and on the trade flows of live animals within the enlarged EU. This report may be accompanied if necessary by appropriate legislative proposals in particular as regards journey times, resting periods and space allowances.

In addition the Regulation contains the following deadlines :

• 31 July 2005: Report and possible legislative proposals with the view to establishing a range of maximum and minimum temperatures for the transport animals, taking into account the prevailing temperatures within certain regions of the EU;
• 1 January 2008: Results of a study on navigation systems and the application of such technology for the purpose of this Regulation;
• 1 January 2010: Report on the implementation of the navigation system, possibly with proposals, aimed at defining specifications of the navigation systems to be used.

Clarification of the new Regulation

Council Regulation (EC) No. 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport will enter into force in January 2007. To help the Member States with certain aspects of the implementation, the Commission will give each month in the Standing Committee for the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCOFCAH) a short presentation on the main provisions of the Regulation that will affect animal transport in Europe. After each presentation a discussion with Member States' experts is foreseen in order to collect information on the main initiatives taken to ensure proper implementation of the Regulation in Member States.

Download the presentations and the table  listing the articles related to the subjects described in each presentation and the dates of entering into force of the various provisions. Each month a new presentation will be added on the website concerning different provisions of the new Regulation and the table will be updated appropriately. Updated 16-10-2006

Regulation (EC) 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport and related operations, 4 October 2006
Regulation (EC) 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport and related operations, 6 September 2006
Regulation (EC) 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport and related operations, 5 July 2006
Regulation (EC) 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport and related operations, 15 June 2006

European Convention on the protection of animals during International transport

The Agriculture Council of October 2001 decided to mandate the Commission to negotiate on behalf of the Community the revised European Convention for the Protection of Animals during International Transport. The Convention came into force in 1971, and in 1995 the contracting parties decided to update the rules of the Convention. At present all EU-15 Member States are Parties to the Convention as well as Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Switzerland and Turkey.

The Commission sought to ensure that a high level of animal protection was extended to international animal transports outside the borders of the European Union, and that the provisions of the new convention will be able to reflect existing Community legislation. Subsequent scientific developments and practical experience acquired in this field have to be taken into account. The draft rules of the new Convention were agreed in June 2002. The Convention will be opened to signature in November 2003.

The Community signed the Convention in June 2004.