New rules on animal transport

A number of new regulations on the transport of animals, aimed at improving both animal welfare and public health, came into force on Saturday.

As from Saturday, anyone dealing with animals would have to be registered and licensed with the Food and Veterinary Activity Section, the Agriculture Ministry said.

Vehicles used to transport animals between farms and to the abattoir, or carcasses from the abattoir to processing plants, also need to be registered.

Chief veterinary officer Lino Vella said the new regulations were aimed at improving the conditions under which live animals were transported, in compliance with a Council of Europe convention on animal welfare.

However, the regulations were also aimed at improving the quality of meat consumed by ensuring, for example, that temperatures were controlled during transport.

Another important aspect was to ensure that all animals could be traced back to the originating farm, crucial in the case of any outbreak of disease.

Some 25 trucks are used to transport carcasses, while there are 12 livestock trailers and another 300 trucks used to transport live animals.