site.btaProtest in Strasbourg Demands Stricter EU Animal Transport Regulations

A protest demanding new regulations for animals’ transportation within and beyond the EU took place on Tuesday in front of the European Parliament (EP) building in Strasbourg, ahead of the regular EP plenary session. 

The protesters were carrying banners reading "Uncage the Animal Welfare Law", “Don’t Chicken Out”, calling for stricter regulations to ensure better treatment of animals during transport and to limit their use in laboratory experiments.

On December 7, 2023, the European Commission proposed an overhaul of EU rules for the protection of animals in transport and new rules on the welfare and traceability of dogs and cats. It also replied to the European Citizens' Initiative Fur Free Europe.

The current EU rules for animals in transport are 20 years old and no longer respond to modern realities, the latest scientific advice, sustainability goals or societal demands. The proposed measures will improve the wellbeing of the 1.6 billion animals transported in and from the EU each year. 

The proposals mainly focuses on 7 specific objectives: reduce travel times, increase minimum space allowances, reinforce rules for the transport in extreme temperatures, address the specific needs of vulnerable animals, improve enforcement through digitalization, improve conditions of transport of animals exported from the EU, and expand EU rules for the transport of dogs and cats.