Lamb transports before Easter: Broken legs, no water, barely any space

Together with the Italian organization Essere Animali, we inspected long-distance transports of lambs to Italy shortly before Easter. In the process, we documented numerous violations of the animal transport regulations—including, for example, injured animals that were transported despite having broken legs. We filed complaints against two transporters. However, the current law is not sufficient. 

Demand for lamb meat traditionally increases in Italy before Easter. As domestic production cannot meet demand, hundreds of thousands of lambs are imported from other EU countries every year. In the period before Easter last year alone, more than 153,000 lambs were transported to Italy — some journeys lasting more than 30 hours.

At the end of March, we therefore conducted inspections on Italian highways together with our colleagues from Essere Animali. We focused on the border region near Ventimiglia in Liguria, where livestock is transported from France and Spain into Italy—two of the main exporting countries for lambs. In total, we inspected five livestock transport vehicles and reported two of them to the authorities. We documented the following violations of the animal transport regulations:

• Overcrowded vehicles preventing animals from lying down.
• Drinking systems unsuitable for lambs or not working.
• Missing or insufficient bedding.
• Compartments too low to allow natural movement and adequate ventilation. 
• Vehicles in poor technical condition. 

Severely injured animals transported for hours

One particularly disturbing case involved a truck transporting around 300 sheep from France to a slaughterhouse in the Abruzzo region. At least four animals were trapped between the side wall and the floor of the trailer and had broken legs. We immediately alerted the police, who stopped the vehicle and requested a veterinary inspection. The veterinary inspection was limited to animals on the first level of the vehicle. The trapped animals on an upper level were not examined, though.

Despite legal requirements stating that injured animals must be unloaded at the nearest control post — and although such a facility was located along the route — the truck was allowed to continue its journey. For the injured animals, this meant at least ten more hours of suffering. 

Unfortunately, such cases are not isolated incidents. Violations too often go unpunished.

Legal loopholes allow animal suffering

Many of these problems occur not only due to insufficient enforcement but also because of inadequate legal standards. A scientific opinion by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) confirms that the current EU transport regulation from 2005 does not sufficiently protect animals. Experts recommend:

• significantly more space for animals, 
• protection from extreme temperatures, 
• and shorter journey times. 

“Our inspections show year after year that animals suffer severely during long-distance transport — often completely legally,” says our project manager Tea Dronjić. “The current regulation contains major loopholes. As a result, it is often impossible to intervene even when animal welfare is clearly compromised.”

Reform of EU animal transport regulation remains blocked

The European Commission proposed a revision of the animal transport regulation in 2023. However, the outdated law from 2005 is still in force, as political forces in the European Parliament continue to block the reform.

“The proposed revision is not perfect, but it includes important improvements for animals,” says veterinarian Tea Dronjić. “That this reform continues to be blocked is unacceptable. Millions of animals are paying the price with their suffering.”

We therefore call for a comprehensive reform of EU animal transport legislation that ensures animals are protected fully and in line with the latest scientific knowledge.