Pointed out at the committee sitting was the fact that amending the regulation would chiefly impact those farmers in Estonia who transport farm animals out of the country, according to a Riigikogu press release.

The committee noted that due to Estonia's geographic location, the requirements provided for by the regulation would have a significant restrictive effect on transporting out of the country, including for export.

"This is a kind of misguided and emotional approach that would have an unfairly large impact on the Estonian livestock farming and food industry as well as on food prices," said committee chair and MP Liisa Pakosta (Eesti 200).

Pakosta noted that the proposal is akin to an attempt to exclude Northern European countries from animal transport, as, under the proposal, the transport of animals would be prohibited when the ambient air temperature fell below -5 degrees Celsius.

"To make the transport of animals dependent on the temperature outside but not, for example, on the temperature inside the truck is unacceptable and would place unfair restrictions on Estonian livestock farmers," she stressed.

The committee chair added that the proposal in question would also unnecessarily increase the CO2 footprint.

"The notion that trucks should be made much larger because cattle might prefer to lie down instead of standing during transport, or the requirement for dogs to undergo veterinary treatment before a car journey to reduce the stress caused by car transport, or the requirement that a vet should always stand next to animals when they are being loaded – examples like these unfortunately suggest that this isn't properly thought through at all," she commented.

'Clear risk of marketing restriction'

Committee member and MP Arvo Aller (EKRE) commented that if the EU regulation were to enter into force as is, only sheep and horses could be exported from Estonia in the future, and the export ban would also have an indirect impact on the dairy sector, as calves and heifers sold for rearing in other countries account for 28 percent of cattle exports.

"If species-specific rest periods are imposed on transporters and very specific vehicle fleet is required for animal transport, there will likely be fewer transporters in the future," Aller underscored. "In any case, it is a clear risk of marketing restriction."

Also pointed out at the Riigikogu committee sitting was the fact that the regulation on the protection of animals during transport has been in force for nearly 20 years and is considered outdated by the European Commission, animal welfare organizations as well as European citizens.

According to the press release, Estonia supports the general objectives set by the EU as well as the creation of common standards, but considers it important that the requirements established are based on the recommendations of scientific evaluation to improve welfare, take into account the geographical specificities of EU member states and are proportionate.

Estonia supports the adoption of innovative digital solutions to simplify the administration of businesses and to control and improve animal welfare.

The regulation in question will not apply to the non-commercial transport of pets, such as visits to the vet.

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