Cloning and Animal Transport

Peter Stevenson

Compassion in World Farming

Cloning involves substantial animal suffering

• Surrogate dams - EFSA: – increased frequencies of abnormal or difficult

birth, especially in cattle– ‘large offspring syndrome’ leads to Caesarean

sections being more frequent in cattle carrying a clone than with conventional pregnancies

Health & Welfare of Clones

• EFSA: “The health and welfare of a significant proportion of clones ... have been found to be adversely affected, often severely and with a fatal outcome”

• Most cloned embryos die during pregnancy

• Of those that survive, a significant proportion die early in life from cardiovascular failure, respiratory problems or defective immune systems.

European Group on Ethics

• “Considering the current level of suffering and health problems of surrogate dams and animal clones, the EGE has doubts as to whether cloning animals for food supply is ethically justified”.

How is cloning likely to be used in the livestock sector?

• Will be used to produce copies of highest yielding cows & fastest growing pigs

• Traditional selective breeding has led to major health problems for such animals

• EFSA: genetic selection for high milk yield is the major factor causing poor health & welfare in dairy cows

• EFSA: genetic selection of pigs for rapid growth has led to leg & cardiovascular disorders

• Cloning will lead to an even higher proportion of animals suffering from such health & welfare problems

Commission report

• Proposes temporary suspension of: – cloning in EU & import of clones – sale of food from clones

• BUT permits: – imports of offspring of clones & of semen &

embryos of clones– sale of food from offspring

Impact of Commission report

• Allows EU farmers to use offspring of clones (provided the cloning is carried out in third country) & to sell meat & milk form offspring

• Will not deter cloning as industry does not want to sell meat & milk from clones (they are elite breeding stock)

• It is the meat & milk from the offspring that they wish to sell & this will be permitted

• EU must ban all aspects of cloning

Need for improved enforcement of Transport

Regulation

Journey log deficiencies

• Some authorities accept journey logs with unrealistically short estimated journey times

• as a result the rest stops that are obligatory for long journeys are neither planned nor carried out

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Unrealistically short estimated journey times animals do not get 24h mid-journey rest

• FVO report on France, 2009– Authorities approve short estimated times for cattle to Sicily & Greece & pigs to

Sicily

• FVO report on Belgium, 2009– Journey logs examined from different countries were deficient, incomplete &

unrealistic

• FVO report on Poland, 2010– Authorities approve short estimated times for calves to Italy

• Two FVO reports on Spain, 2010– Authorities regularly approve unrealistic estimated times – in some cases actual

journey 3 times longer than indicated in log

• FVO report on Lithuania, 2010– “officials reviewing journey logs had failed to ensure that they were realistic for

the proposed journeys”

Failure to give food, water & rest

• Requirement often ignored to give animals food, water & 24h rest part way through long journeys

• Sometimes no rest break at all• Sometimes rest much shorter than required by 1/2005• FVO, 2009: animals rested <24h in the case of 44 of the 55

consignments stopping at French control post• FVO, 2009: calves arriving in Belgium after long journey from

other Member States sometimes get just 1h rest prior to re-export

• Overcrowding – particularly harmful when combined with inadequate ventilation, water deprivation & high summer temperatures

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Permitted stocking density often exceeded

Insufficient headroom

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Unfit animals frequently transported

• FVO Bulgaria, 2009: unfit animals being transported• FVO France, 2009: transport of unfit animals continues

to be a serious problem in France• FVO Lithuania, 2010: transport of unfit animals to

slaughter• FVO Spain, 2010: many cows with serious injuries &

arthritic lambs transported to slaughter• FVO Spain, 2010: actions of CA “still not sufficient to

deter” transport of unfit animals