News
Opposition grows to livestock transport changes
20/03/2009 10:23:00
Orkney MSP, Liam McArthur, has been assured that the Scottish Government will oppose changes to the EU Livestock Transport Regulations which could damage the interests of Orkney farmers and crofters.
After concerns were raised with him that lobbying, particularly by
equine bodies, could lead to changes in the regulations which would cut
permitted journey times, Liam McArthur wrote to Richard Lochhead, the
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs & the Environment, to reiterate
his concerns. After advising the Minister that there were serious
concerns in Orkney about the prospect of further restrictions being
imposed on animal transport, he pointed out that the driving force
behind the proposed changes appeared to be concerns about live horse
exports elsewhere in Europe. He argued that this must not be used as an
excuse to make changes to other livestock transport arrangements that
were introduced very recently and have been operating without incident
or complaint ever since.
The Cabinet Secretary has now replied, advising that the European
Commission had not yet made any recommendations for changes to the
Livestock Transport Regulations and that it was likely that an EU
Working Group to look at the matter would not be set up until next
year. Mr Lochhead did, however, advise that the rules governing the
transport of horses are separate from those governing other livestock
to that any changes in the rules affecting horses 'should not have a
consequential impact on the legislation on the transport of livestock'.
The Minister then outlined work Scottish officials are undertaking with
UK, Welsh and Northern Ireland officials to look at how the rules could
be clarified and improved. He wrote that 'UK authorities consider that
there are two issues which could be addressed which would specifically
assist agriculture in remote and island areas'.
The first is to clarify the rules for journeys through markets. The
amendment they would try to achieve 'would allow an animal transported
from Orkney to a mainland market to start a new journey when it leaves
that market, provide they had been at the market for a minimum of 6
hours or had travelled less than 100km'.
The second issue was that they were looking at the case for making time
on ro-ro ferries count as neutral or rest time, based on the evidence
that the animals on ferries are able to rest. This is already the case
on the Kirkwall to Aberdeen route but the proposal 'would have a
significant effect on the transport times from Orkney where animals are
transported off the Islands by the Stromness to Scrabster route'.
The Minister ended his reply by writing that, if the European
Commission did propose a significant reduction in journey times, 'the
Scottish Government are prepared to put forward a robust case for a
derogation for our remote areas, which would certainly include the
Highlands and Islands'.
Commenting, Liam McArthur said: "While we will need to keep a close eye
on this as the proposals develop next year, it is clear that the
message that Orkney and other farmers and crofters have been making to
the Government, through NFU Scotland and others such as myself, has got
through. Officials and ministers are now well briefed and prepared to
fight our corner. This is a welcome reward for the lobbying effort, but
vigilance needs to be maintained until the regulations are looked at by
the EU Working Group and any revisions are made."