Background veal farming
Irish not happy with possible export ban on calves
Last week, Minister Schouten published a letter to parliament in which she argues, among other things, for a ban on long-distance transport for sober calves. This would mean that calves from Ireland, among others, are no longer welcome in the Netherlands. The Irish are not happy about that.
Schouten wants to ban calf transports of longer than 8 hours. This will put an end to the import of calves from Denmark, the Czech Republic, Ireland and the Baltic States, among others. The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) has said it is not happy about this possible export ban. It would hit the Irish veal sector hard. Irish calves are very popular in the Netherlands, last year we still imported 850.000 calves.
European decision
Schouten blames it partly on the fact that the length of the transport affects the well-being of the calves. In addition, many foreign livestock trucks do not meet the Dutch requirements for calf transport. ICMSA's president, Des Morrison, says he has confidence in Ireland's standards for the welfare and transport of calves.
According to Morrison, trade within the EU is absolutely necessary and everything is carried out according to the highest international standards. "It cannot be the case that certain trade is banned on a unilateral basis or on the opinion of a single person. It is not up to 1 individual Member State to determine whether or not there will be a ban, all 27 Member States must consider this and there is then make judgments about it," said the chairman. Morrison expects the other EU member states to oppose the request.
Inaccuracies on transport
Long transports and incorrect transport are leading in Schouten's request. Livestock trucks used for these transports must be fitted with a drinking system that is suitable for the relevant animal species. According to Schouten, it still happens too often that calves are transported with transport fitted with metal drinking nipples, which calves cannot drink from. In the Netherlands, livestock trucks have been equipped with flexible teats since 2017, but that is not always the case with foreign transporters.
For that reason, Schouten wants to maintain from 2021 on companies that transport the calves in unsuitable livestock trucks. If they are found to be unsuitable during an inspection, the carrier will face a fine. If a company makes several mistakes, the NVWA can temporarily ban the transport of calves on Dutch territory. In order to maintain this, Schouten is in talks with Germany and Belgium.
Jorine Cosse
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