Offaly MEP hits out at plan to ban export of two-week-old calves

OFFALY MEP Barry Cowen has hit out at EU proposals to change the rules governing the export of calves from Ireland.

Mr Cowen, Member of the European Parliament for the Midlands North-West and full member of the parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, was reacting to European Commission plans to raise the minimum transport age of calves to five weeks and set a weight requirement of 50kg.

The MEP has proposed maintaining the current standard of 14 days and warned that the proposed changes would place a significant financial burden on Irish farmers due to the additional housing and veterinary costs.

Mr Cowen has submitted a series of amendments to the proposed EU regulations on live animal transport which he says deliver on his commitment to advocate for practical and balanced rules that reflect both scientific understanding and economic realities.

Several of MEP Cowen’s amendments address the proposed changes to calf transport.

Mr Cowen said the central focus of the amendments is the retention of the existing derogation for sea journeys from strict journey time limits, something which he says is a major issue for Ireland.

He said the derogation is essential for the viability of Irish agriculture and will remain a top priority in the ongoing legislative discussions.

Further proposals from the Offaly representative, who briefly served as Minister for Agriculture when he was a Dail TD, modify the maximum journey time for calves, allowing for an extended transport cycle under certain conditions.

Recognition of rehydration through electrolyte solutions, additional permitted journey segments and structured rest periods at approved assembly centres would be included.

According to Mr Cowen, such measures would preserve and enhance access for Irish calves to markets across mainland Europe.

The MEP says additional amendments aim to simplify compliance without compromising welfare. These include excluding loading and unloading time from the overall journey calculation, replacing mandatory veterinary presence with trained technicians during key transport stages, removing the need for journey logs on short domestic trips and deleting new vehicle height restrictions proposed by the Commission.

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Mr Cowen also joined Fine Gael MEP Nina Carberry in tabling an amendment to ensure that basic animal transport standards apply to the equine sector, a move aimed at promoting consistency across species.

Previously, during his contribution on the proposed regulations at the EU's agriculture committee last month, Mr Cowen criticised the narrow reliance on EFSA’s scientific opinion in the commission’s proposals, urging that the broader scientific landscape and economic consequences must be factored into the final legislation.

Mr Cowen said: “Our priority is ensuring that these rules work in practice – not just on paper. The commission’s proposals, though well-intentioned, overlooked the practical implications for countries like Ireland. That’s why my team and I have focused our amendments on maintaining the sea journey derogation and protecting Irish farmers from unnecessary hardship.”

The MEP added: “On calf transport, we struck a balance that preserves animal welfare while recognising what is feasible on farms. The proposal to raise the minimum age to five weeks simply didn’t reflect the realities on the ground. Our amendment to maintain the 14-day threshold protects both the welfare of the animal and the livelihood of the farmer.

“Requiring a vet for every step of the process is not realistic – especially when trained animal technicians are more than capable of ensuring best practice. We’ve also made sure that practicalities like loading times and short farm-to-farm movements aren’t unfairly penalised.

"When it comes to horses, I want every breeder, trainer and transporter involved in racing to know that I have your back. It’s only right that we have fair and just rules that respect how the horse industry actually works. That is what my representations on behalf of the equine sector will ensure."

The amendments were tabled last week alongside Mr Cowen's Fianna Fáil colleague MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, a member of the European Parliament’s Transport Committee, which is also assessing the proposed legislation.