New Driving Test Introduced To Transport Animals
UK - NFU Cymru President Dai Davies’ blood was boiling at todays’ Monmouthshire show as he explained to local farmers how a new EU Directive on transporting animals will mean they will have to pass a test to move their animals over 65km from January 2008.this money would be better spent to assure welfare standards for animals if it was spent on winter feed rather than being sucked out of the industry to satisfy paper welfare.
NFU Cymru President Dai Davies.
Dai Davies said, “The Welsh Assemblys’ translation of the EU Directive means that in Wales, farmers will be required to sit a multiple choice test on a computer. The test covers the principles of transporting animals by road on journeys over 65kms and up to eight hours and knowledge of the legislation that applies to such journeys. I feel that this Directive, which could have been taken in our stride and incorporated within Farm Assurance, has unfortunately been gold plated. Fringe organisation associated with the industry has seen an opportunity for developing parasitic tendencies to draw money out of the industry.
“All this, theoretically is for the good of animal welfare. With seed prices going through the roof and livestock prices on the floor, combined with the effect of foot and mouth disease, this money would be better spent to assure welfare standards for animals if it was spent on winter feed rather than being sucked out of the industry to satisfy paper welfare. It is animal welfare that should be of paramount importance.”
Other countries within the UK have decided to approach the same Directive in a less bureaucratic way. A common sense approach would have been to incorporate the test into other inspection procedures.
NFU Cymru has endeavoured to get a coordinated approach, that would enable farmers to obtain certificates of competence without them incurring yet further cost, but to date it has fallen on deaf ears. NFU Cymru will continue to seek a more pragmatic approach to this issue.
TheCattleSite News Desk