4 October 2011 – Keith has written to the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food to raise his concerns about welfare conditions of animals being exported from Ramsgate port in Kent. Keith wants to know how DEFRA is ensuring that EU standards, designed to protect animals in transit, are being enforced in Ramsgate.

The EU sets minimum requirements for animal transportation, but Keith does not feel that the measures in the regulation go far enough and has concerns about them being properly enforced. A recent report by Compassion in World Farming has highlighted that across the EU standards on animal transportation are often not being met and animals are being transported in poor conditions resulting in exhausting, dehydration and, in some cases, death in transit.

Keith is alarmed by this report and has written to European Commissioner Dalli urging him to ensure better enforcement of EU standards and to consider the introduction of an 8 hour maximum journey limit for animal transportation, as a step towards ending all live exports.

Keith said: “I‘m really concerned about the treatment of live animals that are exported from Ramsgate. If live animals are to be exported, something the Green Party opposes, they should at least be treated decently. I’m worried that the minimum EU animal welfare standards for animal transportation are not being met and have written to DEFRA to ask how they are ensuring that EU standards are enforced in Ramsgate.”

Photo: Flickr – kleinmatt66