Animal transport is prohibited from 35 degrees

It will be prohibited to transport animals at a temperature above 35 degrees, writes Minister Carola Schouten (Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality) in a letter to parliament. The agreement was already in the National Heat Plan, but according to the minister, this voluntary agreement is not met by everyone.

Since Minister Schouten concludes that the voluntary agreement is not complied with by everyone, she has decided to lay down this measure in law. It only concerns transports that take place in the Netherlands. "However, the transport ban at this specific temperature (35 degrees or more) does not alter the fact that the animals can still experience heat stress at lower temperatures. That is why the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) will continue to monitor closely," continues Schouten.

Earlier, Schouten also spoke positively about the European Commission's plan not to carry out long-distance transport if the outside temperature exceeds 30 degrees. The minister then clearly indicated that she would like to see this laid down in the transport regulation. "There has to be a legal basis."

Docking prohibited in 2030
In addition to the ban on animal transport at a temperature of 35 degrees or higher, Schouten also has private that routine tail docking in piglets will be banned from 2030. "In order to phase out docking, it is necessary that the causes (such as housing, boredom, nutrition and stable climate) are tackled. In many cases, this requires an adjustment in the operational management and investments have to be made," Schouten reports. By setting an end date, she hopes that pig farmers will have enough time to switch to the new situation.

However, according to the Producers Organization for Pig Farming, the situation is slightly more nuanced than previously reported. "The minister's letter gives the impression that docking will no longer be allowed in the Netherlands by 2030, but that is not correct. It means that we will stop routine docking from 2030." Germany and Denmark already have stricter regulations regarding tail docking in piglets.

Kimberly Baker

Kimberly Bakker is an all-round editor at Boerenbusiness. She also has an eye for the social media channels of Boerenbusiness.

k.baker @boerenbusiness. Nl

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