New set of live export rules
Cattle, sheep and goats can be in transit for 29 hours with a one hour break.
Pigs can be transported for 24 hours without a break, but with permanent access to water, and horses can travel for up to 24 hours, with water every eight hours.
Young animals still on milk can be transported for 18 hours with a one hour break.
Journeys may be continued beyond these limits if animals are unloaded, fed, watered and rested for at least 24 hours.
Ministers agreed a new set of rules, including improved training and certification of animal transporters, vehicle inspection and approval, and a built-in review after four years of journey times and space allowances.
Livestock shippers will also have to identify clearly who is responsible for what throughout animal journeys.
Ministers have put in place new methods of enforcing transport rules, including a satellite navigation system for new lorries from 2007 and for all lorries from 2009.
Calves less than 10 days and other young animals cannot be transported more than 100 km, and transports of less than 50 km are to come within the scope of the EU's Directive for the first time.
For journeys of more than eight hours (about 10% of animal transport in Europe is long distance), vehicle standards have been substantially upgraded. Mechanical ventilation and temperature monitoring and alert systems are among the equipment needed.
There are also new rules on loading and unloading; for example, striking or kicking animals are explicitly prohibited.
Denmark wanted to shorten the time spent by animals in transit, and voted against.
Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and Sweden abstained, with the rest of the 25 member states voting in favour.
In Ireland, IFA National Livestock Committee Chairman John Bryan welcomed the agreement and said the issue now was to resolve the ferry access problem for Ireland's live export trade.
Compassion in World Farming, Ireland's leading farm animal welfare group, condemned the Agriculture Council for its "limited package of reforms."
