The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food has been told that proposed new rules on animal transport will "effectively end" Ireland's participation in live animal trade.

Revisions to a key EU regulation on the welfare of animals in transport are currently being debated at an EU level.

The revisions include a number of proposals to increase restrictions on the live trade.

For example, on multi-deck animal transport lorries, the proposal would add 10cm to the height of each deck, meaning livestock lorries carrying calves on three decks could only have two decks to comply with overall vehicle height limits that are standard in Europe.

As well as that, journey times are set to be decreased, without any distinction being made for countries that are islands.

A representative of the live export sector indicated to the Joint Oireachtas Committee today (Wednesday, March 25) that these changes could effectively freeze Ireland out of the live trade in calves.

Lorcan O’Dochartaigh, livestock trade representative for the Irish Livestock Exporters Association, told the committee: "Looking ahead, the most concerning policy development on the horizon is the anticipated amendment to [the regulations].

"As presently indicated, the reforms under consideration...particularly regarding journey times, on-board feeding times, and stock intensity would, if implemented as drafted, effectively end Ireland's capacity to participate in legitimate live export markets," O’Dochartaigh claimed.

The representative for the Irish Livestock Exporters Association - which represents the majority of the 22 businesses in Ireland exporting live animals - said it was "imperative that Ireland's voice is clearly and coherently heard" on the proposed regulatory changes.

Outside of the regulatory changes, O’Dochartaigh also drew attention to the current challenges for live exporters, particularly in light of the cost of fuel.

He said: "The financial pressures facing road transport, they're quite stark. Under the current conditions, operating a transport vehicle is now approximately €90 per hour, purely in fuel costs, before accounting for any labour, compliance or maintenance overheads.

"These are conditions that no enterprise can sustain indefinitely," he added.

'Disinformation'

O’Dochartaigh claimed that live exporters "also face growing difficulty encountering disinformation propagated by certain activist groups and NGOs [non-government organisations]".

"Much of what circulates publicly bears little or no resemblance to the factual record or to assurances built into Ireland's animal welfare framework which remains among the most comprehensive in Europe," he said.

"These campaigns, while often well-intentioned on the surface, have in practice distorted perceptions of our trade. They have jeopardised trust that has been built by exporters over decades," O’Dochartaigh added.