More countries to join live export ban

England, Wales and Scotland are set to join the growing list of countries to ban live export.

The ban — which will put an end to the shipping of cattle, sheep, goats and pigs for slaughter or fattening — is being pushed through parliament under changes to the UK’s Animal Welfare Bill.

It was announced late last month in a joint statement by the Welsh government and the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The changes will also see journey times in England and Wales shortened and stricter rules imposed regulating temperature and headroom in trucks.

They include a 21-hour maximum journey time for cattle and sheep, 18-hours for pigs, nine hours for calves and four hours for broiler chickens.

Transport would be banned when outside temperatures exceeded 30C for cattle, sheep and pigs, or 25C for poultry, though the ban would not apply to thermoregulated vehicles or journeys less than 65km.

A 10cm minimum headroom for pigs and 20cm for cattle, sheep and goats would also be imposed.

It is not clear when the ban would take effect, though the restrictions will only be finalised following further discussions with stakeholders, according to the statement.

For example, exemptions and provisions are expected to be made for breeding pigs and farmers in remote areas such as the Scottish islands.

“Once agreed, a package of reforms will be implemented through secondary legislation or guidance, as appropriate,” the joint statement said.

Opponents’ claims that trips to abattoirs in France and Belgium could actually be quicker were dismissed by the authorities, who said most UK journeys would take no longer than eight hours.

Discussions about mandatory rest periods are ongoing, however initial calls for a seven-day rest period for cattle have been scrapped.

Under the existing rules, livestock can be moved for 28 hours with a one-hour break mid-journey followed by a 24-hour reset period prior to the next movement.

The move has been met with frustration and disappointment from industry bodies but welcomed by the RSPCA.

It comes after the New Zealand government announced a ban on the live export of animals by sea in March.

The New Zealand Government cited its “limited ability” to ensure the wellbeing of animals once they had left the country by sea, describing this as an “unacceptable risk” to the country’s reputation.