Help Us Protect Animals During Transport Across Europe

In December 2023, the European Commission (EC) published a proposal to revise Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport and related operations. Since then, progress has been very slow, with little improvement for animal welfare.

At the European Parliament (EP) level, responsibility for updating the proposal lies with two committees: the Committee on Agricultural and Rural Development (AGRI) and the Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN). Each committee has appointed one Member of the European Parliament (MEP), called a rapporteur, to lead the file: Daniel Buda for AGRI and Tilly Metz for TRAN.

MEPs of both committees tabled over 3000 amendments, including several reflecting FOUR PAWS recommendations.

For most of 2025, however, the revision was at a standstill. The two rapporteurs could not even agree on the simplest issues needed to move to the next stage of the process: drafting compromise amendments.

Negotiations finally resumed in May 2026 after months of inactivity. Despite several meetings amongst relevant MEPs and other EU stakeholders, progress on drafting compromise solutions has been very slow. If no further delays occur, the EP is expected to vote for its position in Plenary in January 2027.

Worryingly, discussions within the AGRI and TRAN committees are currently focused on relatively minor issues instead of focusing on measures that would have the highest animal welfare impact, such as maximum journey times, temperature limits, and space allowances.

Even more concerning, the compromise amendments currently under discussion seem to weaken the Commission’s proposal – a huge risk for the welfare of the billions of animals annually transported within the EU and from the EU to third countries.

After almost three years of legislative discussions, political momentum is now shifting in a direction that could further weaken the Commission's proposal. It is therefore time to increase public pressure on MEPs by asking them not only to prioritise and expedite the revision of the live animal transport legislation, but also to ensure that it delivers meaningful improvements for animal welfare.

Together with many other NGOs across Europe, we are asking EU citizens to sign this open letter showing MEPs that the public has not forgotten about this issue. Animal transport must remain a priority once the EP resumes its work in September.

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