EU Live Animal Transport Proposal Held Hostage by Deep Political Divisions

What began as a response to mounting scientific evidence, public concern, and systemic enforcement failures has evolved into one of the most contested current animal welfare files in the European Union. See our timeline here.

At stake is the future of hundreds of millions of animals transported every year within and beyond EU borders.

The current EU framework governing live animal transport, Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005, is nearly 20 years old and an outdated and deeply flawed legal framework. Since its adoption, science and technology have moved on significantly. We now know far more about animals’ physiological and behavioural needs during transport, including space requirements, temperature tolerance, and the particular vulnerabilities of unweaned, pregnant animals (see EFSA report).

At the same time, public awareness of animal welfare has grown sharply, and some Member States have introduced national rules going beyond EU minimum standards. This has resulted in fragmented protections across the Union and uneven enforcement.

Against this backdrop, and as part of the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy, the European Commission committed to revising animal welfare legislation—including the rules on transport—to align them with the latest scientific evidence, improve enforceability, and ensure a higher level of protection for animals. Despite that, meaningful reform has been repeatedly delayed.

FOUR PAWS has long documented the suffering inherent to live animal transport and called for a fundamental shift away from this system.

On 7 December 2023, after prolonged delays, the European Commission finally published its long-awaited legislative proposal for a new Regulation on the protection of animals during transport (Procedure file: 2023/0448(COD)).

The proposal introduces several improvements compared to the current rules:

• Journey time limits, including a 9-hour maximum for animals transported to slaughter
• Increased space allowances, based on EFSA recommendations
• Temperature limitations and restrictions to certain journeys depending on the external temperatures, attempting to address both heat stress and extreme cold
• New provisions for exports, including new requirements for sea transport and an audit and certification system for exports to non-EU countries
• Greater digitalisation, notably through the expanded use of TRACES and fully digital journey logs

While these measures represent an acknowledgment of longstanding welfare concerns, they fall short on addressing the most serious and systemic problems. Crucially, the proposal does not include a ban on live exports to non-EU countries, nor does it sufficiently protect vulnerable animals such as unweaned calves. For animals enduring days—or even weeks—of transport ending in brutal slaughter conditions abroad, the proposal offers little real relief.

Momentum began to build in 2020, when the European Parliament established the Committee of Inquiry on the Protection of Animals during Transport (ANIT). Tasked with examining persistent failures in enforcement across Member States, the committee exposed the routine and widespread suffering endured by animals during transport within and beyond EU borders. Its work marked a turning point, bringing live animal transport firmly into the spotlight of EU policymaking.

Building on this momentum, with our contribution, Eurogroup for Animals published a white paper presenting our joint demands on the revision of Council regulation 1/2005. These included stricter limits on journey times, real protection for vulnerable animals, improved enforcement, and an end to the EU’s practice of exporting live animals to third countries. Later that year, the ANIT Committee adopted its cross-party final report, reinforcing these demands.

Public pressure only grew stronger. In January 2022, FOUR PAWS, together with Compassion in World Farming, Animals International and WeMove Europe, submitted a petition signed by 900,000 citizens to the European Parliament. The message was unmistakable: Europeans want an end to cruel long-distance transports and live exports. Citizens demanded shorter journey times, a ban on transporting unweaned animals, and a decisive move away from live transport altogether.

Yet when the issue reached the Council in early 2023, it became clear that political resistance was entrenched. At the AGRIFISH Council in January 2023, Member States were deeply divided, particularly over long-distance transport and live exports to third countries. While some governments defended economic interests and the status quo, then-Commissioner Stella Kyriakides acknowledged that animal transport reform was a high priority and central to the Commission’s work.

After years of delay, the European Commission finally published its legislative proposal in December 2023.

However, from the outset, FOUR PAWS made clear the Commission’s proposed improvements are insufficient. In April 2024, FOUR PAWS submitted detailed feedback to the Commission, warning that the proposal risks entrenching harmful practices rather than ending them. The proposal sets a 9-hour journey limit for animals destined for slaughter, but animals transported for breeding or fattening can still travel up to 21 hours—and an additional 21 hours after a 24-hour rest at control posts. These durations remain too long to guarantee animal welfare. FOUR PAWS calls for a ban on long-distance transport and a maximum of 8 hours for cattle, pigs, and sheep, regardless of purpose. Journey times for poultry, rabbits, and end-of-career animals should not exceed 4 hours, with no more than 6 hours in vehicles or containers.

Despite well-documented suffering at sea, the proposal fails to ban live exports and omits any limits for sea transport. Exports to third countries are particularly concerning, as EU inspectors cannot ensure compliance, and current monitoring is too closely tied to journey organisers. FOUR PAWS calls for a ban on sea transport and exports, veterinarians on board ships, and independent EU oversight.

The proposal also fails to protect unweaned animals, day-old chicks, and pregnant animals. Minimum age requirements for transport of young animals are insufficient, and some standards are lower than current rules, including removal of internal temperature monitoring, less space for pigs on vessels, and permitting painful practices such as the use of electric prods or carrying poultry and rabbits  by the legs.

Data access for monitoring, reporting, and enforcement is inadequate, and sanctions for serious breaches, particularly space and temperature violations, are too weak.

For additional details, please refer to our report on the Commission’s proposal here.

As negotiations on the proposal moved to the Council in 2024 and throughout 2025, progress remained slow and positions quite fragmented. Under successive Council Presidencies, discussions focused on technical and administrative aspects—such as operators’ responsibilities, digital tools, and monitoring systems—as well as on key aspects for animal welfare such as journey times, temperatures, and space allowance. While some progressive adjustments for animal welfare were made (provisions on trainings, contingency planning, monitoring etc.), many proposed amendments would water down welfare protections instead of strengthening them (ex. with journey times – refer to the Polish progress report). Time and again, animal welfare has been sidelined in favour of perceived economic convenience.

The situation deteriorated further once the European Parliament resumed work on the file in the new legislative term. Assigned to the AGRI and TRAN committees, the proposal quickly became paralysed by deep political divisions. In March 2025, the co-rapporteurs, Tilly Metz (Greens/EFA, Luxembourg) and Daniel Buda (EPP, Romania) presented a weak and highly limited joint report that failed to tackle key issues such as live exports, temperature limits, unweaned animals, or journey times. The tabling by MEPs of the two committees of more than 3,000 amendments in April 2025 exposed a profound lack of consensus and direction.

By early 2026, the legislative process in Parliament had effectively ground to a halt, with co-rapporteur Daniel Buda refusing to sit down and compromise. At the latest meeting of the Animal Welfare Intergroup, co-rapporteur Tilly Metz openly acknowledged the deadlock, stating: “The only thing we agree is that we disagree.” This stark admission underlines a deeply troubling reality: the future of millions of animals is being held hostage by political disaccord.

As a result, the proposal is now stalled in the European Parliament. While the Council, currently led by the Cyprus Presidency, has taken some lead in discussions, parliamentary paralysis risks delaying or derailing reform altogether.

The revision of the EU’s live animal transport rules remains unfinished—and uncertain. What is clear, however, is that incremental technical fixes will not be enough. Animals continue to suffer on excessively long journeys, in extreme temperatures, and on brutal export routes beyond EU borders.

FOUR PAWS will continue to closely monitor the legislative revision process and push for a reform that truly reflects scientific evidence, public expectations, and the EU’s stated commitment to high animal welfare standards. After two decades, animals deserve a lot more than half-measures.