Luxembourg bans animal transports to non-EU slaughterhouses

Last week, the Minister of Agriculture, Viticulture and Rural Development Claude Haagen announced Luxembourg's ban on live animal transportation to slaughterhouses in third countries. The ban came into effect on 1 May. Even though only 271 cattle had been exported between 2017 and 2021, prohibiting long-distance transportation to slaughterhouses was seen as essential as "the high-quality sustainable agriculture we aim to achieve must aspire to the highest standards of animal protection," the Minister claimed.

According to the Ministry, the ban is part of the consistent continuation to place animal welfare at the top of the political agenda while also addressing the expectations of the agricultural sector and citizens concerned about the living conditions of farm animals.

Luxembourg's ban follows a European Parliament vote at the end of January to step up the efforts to respect animal welfare during transport. EU rules on animal transport had been criticised as outdated, misleading and poorly enforced.

MEPs adopted recommendations on restricting transportation time and ensuring adequate comfort. Animal transportation to slaughterhouses should not exceed eight hours, while young animals should only be transported by farmers and over a distance shorter than 50 km. Furthermore, travel conditions should be documented, and CCTV cameras should help monitor loading and unloading practices.

MEPs also called on the Commission to urgently present an action plan to support this transition until 2023, including a proposal on a specific fund to minimise the socio-economic impacts of the changes that need to be made.