James Paice MP
Minister of State
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London SW1P 3JR

8th August 2011

Dear James,

I am writing both to pass on constituents' concerns about news that the port of Ramsgate has once more begun to transport live animals between the UK and mainland Europe, and to lend my support to the campaign to limit transport times for live animals to no more than 8 hours.

The live transportation of animals between the UK and Europe is undesirable for several reasons, including:

• Overcrowding. Animals are often injured or trampled to death during transit.
• Animals in transit are often not provided with sufficient food or water, resulting in death and animal suffering.
• The risk of spreading infectious diseases including bluetongue, foot and mouth disease and swine fever. In late 2007, a number of cattle imported from continental Europe were discovered to be infected with bluetongue virus on arrival in the UK.
• The standards of animal welfare and slaughter vary between countries. In June 2011, 2 consignments of calves left Ramsgate to be reared in veal systems which would be illegal in the UK but are acceptable in Europe.

Compassion in World Farming estimates that last year around 4000 sheep and no calves were transported, but by April of this year over 4000 sheep and 600 calves had been transported. Moreover, according to reports by the Food and Veterinary Office of the European Commission, European standards of animal welfare are often not upheld during live transportation, with specific deficiencies identified in the provision of sufficient water food and rest, as well as in the accuracy of journey logs - I will be raising this with you in a separate letter. Journeys can take up to 70 hours by sea and land combined, and the results can include broken legs, pelvises and horns, as well as dehydration, diarrhoea, blindness and malnutrition. It is clear that this is a situation which urgently needs addressing, starting with a limit of 8 hours to live animal journeys.

This is something I have long campaigned for, as a first step towards an overall ban on live animal exports. As you will know, current legislation allows for young animals that are still drinking milk to travel for nine hours before having an hour's break and then a further nine hours travel. Cattle, sheep and goats are allowed to travel for up to fourteen hours before a break. Perhaps the most worrying aspect of current EU legislation is that this pattern can be repeated over days, as long as a 24 hour rest period is given after each period of travel, meaning there is effectively no limit on how long animals may have to travel to reach their final destination.

On behalf of the Government please pledge to reduce animal suffering and limit live transport times to no more than eight hours, championing such as policy at European level too.

Yours sincerely,

Caroline Lucas, MP, Brighton Pavilion

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