13th July 2005

 

NEWS RELEASE FROM COMPASSION IN WORLD FARMING - IRELAND

 

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT CALLS FOR AN “IMMEDIATE AND PERMANENT END” TO SUBSIDIES FOR LIVE CATTLE EXPORTS TO THE MIDDLE EAST

 

Animal welfare group welcomes this move by the European Parliament

 

Compassion in World Farming, Ireland’s leading farm animal welfare group, welcomes the European Parliament’s adoption of a Written Declaration* which calls for “an immediate and permanent end to the system of export refund payments on live cattle exports to third countries”.  The Written Declaration, signed by 375 MEPs, was finalised this week and now becomes the official policy of the European Parliament.

 

Following the adoption of the Written Declaration, the President of the European Parliament, Josep Borrell, will now write to the EU Agriculture Commissioner, Mariann Fischer Boel, and to the Governments of the 25 Member States, setting out the Parliament’s position and demanding a response.

 

The Written Declaration was signed by MEPs from every Member State except possibly Ireland: up  until the end of last week (i.e. 8th July, which is the most up-to-date list of signatures available at present), no Irish MEP had signed.

 

Mary-Anne Bartlett, Director of Compassion in World Farming – Ireland, says:  

“This decision by the European Parliament represents a major milestone in Compassion in World Farming’s campaign to end the subsidies that fund live cattle exports to the Middle East.  The writing is now on the wall for this inhumane and unnecessary trade which inflicts great suffering on thousands of cattle.  Irish cattle are forced to make very long sea journeys of some 3,000 miles only to face cruel slaughter conditions at their destination.”

 

Background:  Nearly 200,000 live cattle are exported from the EU to the Middle East each year, with Germany, France, and Ireland the biggest exporters. The trade this year is set to cost European tax payers 77 million Euro in subsidies.  In 2004, 11,690 live cattle were exported from Ireland to the Lebanon; the figure to date in 2005 is 3,995.

 

*  “Written Declaration on export refunds for live cattle to third countries” by Parish, Casaca, Matsakis, Lucas & Portas, MEPs, July 2005 – this can be read in full on the European Parliament’s website.