Live exporters lose a friend
As President of the EU Agriculture Council in the first six months of 2004, he postponed decisions on live exports, because extreme positions were adopted by opponents and supporters, making it impossible to reach a balanced agreement which would continue legitimate trade for live animals, whilst leading to an improvement in animal welfare standards.
Putting off decisions to another day was probably the best outcome live exporters could have hoped for, with the UK, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg opposing the latest proposals on treatment of the 20 million live animals transported across Europe annually.
France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece said the proposals went a step too far for the live trade. Northern Europe wanted an eight hour cap on transport times; Mediterranean countries wanted no travel limits at all.
It is thought that this deadlock last April may leave live exports off the Brussels agenda until next summer at least, because the current EU’s president, the Netherlands, and their successor, Luxembourg, would be unwilling to take on such a difficult negotiation. They already have enough on their hands with sugar regime reform proposals.
However, the appointment of Marian Fischer Boel as Commissioner for Agriculture, and the arrival of 10 new EU members last May, could strengthen the forces arranged against live exports.
Boel is famous for breaking down and crying when she watched a film showing animals suffering during transport.
Those who depend on the live exports business will find it hard to convince her of their arguments.
As for the 10 new member states, only Malta and Cyprus are likely to be long-term supporters of live exports.
Poland and some other eastern countries export a lot of their cattle live, but all the eastern countries are short of beef for their own requirements, and beef prices have risen across the East since beef from the old EU-15 gained market access.
As soon as these countries can establish their own beef industries, their interest in live exports will end, and the majority in the Farm Council will swing towards opposing the live trade on animal welfare grounds.
For Ireland, the only island economy in the EU, that bullet will have to be bit eventually. Minister Joe Walsh has made the point that farm animals are treated better than humans in transport. He also says the Mediterranean countries will bring live cattle from the other side of the world in Australia if Brussels prevents Ireland from supplying them. Ireland’s live trade makes good sense for the EU, but farmers can’t rely on it much longer, as the balance of decision-making power shifts in favour of the animal welfare lobby, and against live exporters.
