Animal transport

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Three-story cattle truck
Transport of police horses
Dog carrier for international flights
Loading of piglets (approx. 30 kg) for transport to the fattening farm
Animal transport regulations are often less stringent in developing countries than in the European Union.
Cambodia, transport of live pigs to Siem Reap
Live pig transport on Timor (around 1970)

Under a transport of animals is the process for conveying at least a living animal; a use of the term in the sense of a transport by animals (like pack donkey or carrier pigeon ) is not very common. The term is often used synonymously with the narrower term cattle transport, i.e. the transport of cattle .

The German Animal Welfare Transport Ordinance (TierSchTrV) does not define the term; it is linked to the definitions of the EU Regulation (EC) No. 1/2005, which is implemented by the TierSchTrV. For these purposes "transport" is defined as: any movement of live vertebrate animals in one or more modes of transport and all related operations, including loading, unloading, reloading and resting, until the animals have been unloaded at their destination; the term is not limited to commercial transport .

general situation

There can be various reasons for animal transport: it can be for breeding, fattening, sport, slaughter, zoo , circus animals or animals that are intended for animal testing , traveling with private individuals or sent by post when purchased in the online shop become.

As of April 1, 2001, the rail transport company DB Cargo stopped transporting live animals by rail. The reason was that they didn't want to play a public whipping boy on this sensitive issue. In addition, BSE cases and foot - and- mouth disease caused a significant decrease in transports in 2000 , so the timing was deemed right.

Animal transports by sea take place on board specialized ships, so-called animal transporters . The European and German animal transport law does not know this term, only the "animal transport ship".

Cross-border live transports (Germany)

Import to Germany:

  • Cattle: 150 thousand animals
  • Pigs: 13.9 million animals (mostly piglets)
  • Slaughter pigs: 4.6 million (number of animals brought to Germany for slaughter, 2011)
  • Poultry: 202 million animals

Export from Germany:

  • Cattle: 667 thousand animals
  • Pigs: 2 million animals
  • Slaughter pigs: 973 thousand animals (number of animals exported for slaughter from Germany, 2011)
  • Poultry: 264 million animals

(As of 2010 bre. 2011)

Cross-border live transports (Austria)

From 2008 to 2018 Austria exported around 1 million animals to third countries. 221 thousand animals went to third countries, such as Turkey (117,151 animals), Algeria (38,133), Russia (15,356), Uzbekistan (12,675) and Azerbaijan (9,301).

Reasons for transportation

  • economics

Under the cost pressure that consumers produce in their desire for the cheapest meat, as well as in order to increase profits from food companies, locations in the production chain are being relocated to where the wage level (e.g. for butcher) is lower, the social and occupational safety standard lower, the enforcement of animal welfare - or hygiene rules are looser and the risk of sanctions is lower, thus attracting a competitive advantage and a purely economic calculation. In relation to the distances covered, transport costs fell sharply due to improved means of transport and infrastructure as well as increasing specialization and centralization, which made air travel with sport horses or domestic dogs or long transports of cattle for slaughter seem attractive in the first place.

  • specialization

In food production, animal owners are increasingly specializing in pure breeding or fattening activities or in limited production or age levels, for example in pig farming.

  • centralization

Large slaughterhouses or wholesalers for special animal species (such as reptiles) emerge, against which smaller regional companies can hardly compete. That extends transport routes.

  • Others

Opening of the possibility of slaughtering according to local religious or traditional rites ( shafts ).

Fattening animals are also transported to countries (e.g. Spain) in which forms of husbandry are permitted that are prohibited in countries with stricter regulations (e.g. Germany).

Import of exotic animal species, possibly from wild catches.

Statutory Regulations

Directive 91/496 / EEC applies to the member states of the EU . This guideline stipulates a maximum duration of eight hours per transport, which, however, can be extended indefinitely under certain conditions (special vehicles, break / supply intervals). In 1997 the EU directive was implemented in Germany as the Animal Welfare Transport Ordinance (TierSchTrV). Depending on the species, the vehicles can have one to five loading levels: B. One-tier horses, two-tier cattle, three-tiered sheep and calves and four- or five-tiered young animals (lambs, calves, piglets). Groups of animals may only be transported together up to a certain number. For example, only 25 calves can be put together. If more animals are to be moved with a transporter, they must be separated by a fixed partition.

In the EU, the Regulation (EC) No. 1/2005 of December 22, 2004, regulates the transport of animals directly, i.e. without the necessary implementation by national law; Among other things, it enforces the aforementioned directive. The implementation of the EU regulation in Germany is largely based on the current TierSchTrV with a few special national rules, for example on cash on delivery. These ordinances do not apply to transports that are not carried out "in connection with an economic activity" or under the guidance of a veterinarian directly to or from a veterinary practice, and only to a limited extent for farmers with their own means of transport, who move animals or their own animals Transport within a radius of less than 50 km from your establishment.

In 2019, the Ministry of the Environment in Bavaria drew up a list of 17 states where there are doubts that animal welfare standards will be adhered to throughout the transport to the destination of the animals.

The EU has sent guidelines for border control measures to the member states and passed an implementing regulation that came into force on March 31, 2020. According to this, the member states have the option of simplifying and reducing control procedures.

Duration of the transports

If the place of dispatch and the destination are in Germany, according to Regulation (EC) No. 1/2005, the transport to a slaughterhouse may not exceed eight hours. Deviations are possible if the transport time is exceeded due to unforeseeable circumstances or if the transport takes place on a special vehicle in accordance with Regulation No. 411/98 / EC. While transports of up to eight hours in normal vehicles are permitted, special vehicles with a drinking system and fans are required for longer transport times . In Switzerland, which is not part of the EU, the transport time is limited to six hours.

Animal transports in organic agriculture are also limited by law to eight hours. The ecological cultivation associations Bioland, Naturland and Demeter commit themselves to limit animal transports to four hours and, if possible, not more than 50 km.

Problems and criticism

Animal rights activists complain that even if the applicable legal provisions are complied with, the animals would have to endure great agony during transport . They suffered from exhaustion, dehydration and stress during the transports . In summer temperatures, the transport conditions would be particularly agonizing.

The regulations on animal transport would only apply to transports in connection with an economic activity. Private transports of pets are not regulated if general animal welfare and road traffic regulations are disregarded.

In connection with the private transport of pets, animal transport boxes play a role; For transport in accordance with Regulation (EC) No. 1/2005, the German TierSchTrV contains special requirements for such containers - with the exception of air shipping - with regard to size and maximum number for dogs, cats, rabbits or birds (for example in the cabin express ).

Web links

Wiktionary: animal transport  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Commons : Animal transports  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files
Wikisource: Detailed Regulations on the Carriage of Live Animals (Germany, 1904)  - Sources and full texts

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Animal Welfare Transport Ordinance
  2. ↑ a b Regulation (EC) No. 1/2005 of the Council of December 22, 2004 on the protection of animals during transport and related processes as well as amending Directives 64/432 / EEC and 93/119 / EC and the Regulation ( EG) No. 1255/97 (PDF; 26.4 MB)
  3. ↑ quoted according to Article 2 a and w of Regulation (EC) No. 1/2005
  4. ↑ News update shortly . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International , issue 5/2001, ISSN  1421-2811 , p. 198.
  5. ↑ Background to the suspension of rail transport in Germany
  6. ↑ Definition of Article 2 l of Regulation (EC) No. 1/2005: "Ships, excluding ro-ro ships and excluding ships that transport animals in movable containers used to transport domestic equidae, domestic cattle, domestic sheep, domestic goats or domestic pigs or should be used ".
  7. ↑ Federal Ministry of Agriculture, import of slaughter pigs and pork by country March 5, 2013 (PDF; 12 kB)
  8. ↑ Federal Ministry of Agriculture, export of slaughter pigs and pork by country March 5, 2013 (PDF; 13 kB)
  9. ↑ Small inquiry to the federal government, export and import of animal products and feed, January 17, 2012 (for pig production see separate individual records; PDF; 329 kB)
  10. ↑ FOUR PAWS: Around 27 million animals are transported from Austria every year , accessed on February 21, 2020 in Derstandard.at.
  11. ↑ s. NDR (Claus Hesseling) September 29, 2015 . Pork at dumped prices
  12. ↑ so of less than EUR 3.50 per fattening pig (as of 2013) determined by the Thuringian State Institute for Agriculture, economic guidelines for pig fattening , p. 4 and p. 9; there, however, for predominantly regional slaughterhouses; from 4–6 EUR per fattening pig for northern Germany after greater concentration, ie. further routes Hamburger Abendblatt March 18, 2014 : There is not enough slaughter capacity in the north
  13. ↑ Council Directive 91/628 / EEC of November 19, 1991 on the protection of animals during transport and amending Directives 90/425 / EEC and 91/496 / EEC (PDF; 1.3 MB)
  14. ↑ § 8 TierSchTrV
  15. ↑ Article 1 (5) of Regulation (EC) No. 1/2005
  16. ↑ Article 1 (2) of Regulation (EC) No. 1/2005
  17. ↑ Animal transports - background paper Vier Pfoten, 2019 ( PDF; 353 kB )
  18. ↑ Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/466 of the Commission of March 30, 2020 , accessed on April 7, 2020 in Eur-lex.europa.eu
  19. ↑ What we eat, transportation of cattle for slaughter
  20. ^ Heat waves and animal transports , Albert Schweitzer Foundation for Our Environment , August 3, 2013
  21. ↑ Protection of animals during transport
  22. ↑ Appendix 1 to § 6 Animal Welfare Transport Ordinance, so in No. 3 for racing pigeons.