Mr. Jim Callaghanasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied that the conditions under which live animals are exported for slaughter fully comply with the recommendations of the O'Brien report.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerThe O'Brien committee considered that the most effective means of safeguarding the welfare of food animals entering the livestock trade within the European Community lay in the implementation of common European welfare regulations covering both slaughter and transport conditions. The Community legislation, which was required for the achievement of this objective, has now been adopted.
Directive 74/577/EEC requires effective stunning before slaughter and directive 77/489/EEC protects the welfare of animals during international transport. A further measure, which was adopted by the Council of Ministers 170W on 12 May 1981, develops the provisions of directive 77/489/EEC and improves its enforcement by requiring that each consignment of animals must be accompanied by a document on which details about the journey will be recorded and which the authorities of each member State will have to check to ensure that the animals are being carried in accordance with the rules.