PAN questions European Commission about sanctions on Romania after thousands of sheep drown

Brussels, 5 November 2019- MEP Francisco Guerreiro (PAN) questioned the European Commission about the non-compliance with Regulation (EC)1/2005, concerning the protection of animals during transport, after the death of more than 14,300 sheep in the wreck of the Queen Hind ship on the Black Sea, off the port of Midia, Romania.

On November 24th, the Queen Hind vessel, which was transporting around 14,600 sheep to Saudi Arabia, sank, and the disaster again raised questions about the transport of live animals and questions about the guarantee of compliance of Regulation (EC) 1/2005 by Member States. In this regard, the MEP also questioned whether the Commission will initiate infringement proceedings against Romania for its non-compliance with this Regulation and for grossly and repeatedly ignoring the Community animal welfare rules.

This month, the European Parliament will debate the topic, as a matter of priority, in an ordinary session, and PAN will request an official position from the new European Commission on the rewriting of Regulation (EC) 1/2005 or even the possibility of ending, even if gradually, the transport of live animals for countries outside of the European Union.

It should also be highlighted that in August 2019, Romania, the European Union’s main exporter of sheep and cattle to the Middle East, ignored Commissioner Andriukaitis's request to halt the export of 70,000 sheep to the Persian Gulf due to extreme temperatures that raised animal welfare issues.

Also, the non-governmental animal welfare organization Animals International reported that the sunken ship was overloaded, while Compassion in World Farming noted that on most of these voyages there are violations of community law.

At national level, PAN voted to condemn the non-compliance with animal protection and welfare rules in the transport of live animals in several Member States and the death of more than 14,000 sheep in the context of the transport of live animals, but the vote was rejected with the votes against of PS and PCP and the abstention of the majority of the other parties.

Thus, Francisco Guerreiro made the following questions to the European Commission:

– In order to prevent further breaches of Community law and to address Romania's failure to comply with the fundamental principle of Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 that animals should not be transported if their health is thereby endangered, is the Commission considering initiating infringement proceedings against Romania?

– Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 was established to protect animal welfare during transport, but there is evidence gathered by NGOs and DG SANTE showing that the Regulation is failing to achieve its purpose. Why is the Commission not taking the initiative to revise the legislation by removing the derogations that allow animals to be transported over long periods?

What does the Commission plan to do to promote a dialogue to explore possible arrangements for easing the transition to trade in meat rather than live animals wherever possible and to facilitate trade in animal products, in line with the report’s recommendations on the implementation of the Regulation on the protection of animals during transport?

The Commission has six week to answer after receiving the question in its services.

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