No animal shall be transported unless it is fit for the intended journey, and all animals shall be transported in conditions guaranteed not to cause them injury or unnecessary suffering.
| Transporting animals up to 65km |
Must comply with technical rules on fitness to travel, means of transport and transport practices.
Must be accompanied by an Animal Transport Certificate. |
| Transporting animals over 65km and under 8 hours |
As above, plus:
Must hold a valid transporter authorisation.
From 5th January 2008 drivers or attendants responsible for the transport of farm livestock, horses or poultry must hold a valid Certificate of Competence. |
| Transporting animals over 8 hours |
As above, plus:
Vehicles transporting farm livestock, horses or poultry must be inspected and approved.
The transport of farm livestock and horses over 8 hours to other EU member states or third countries must be accompanied by a journey log. |
| Transporter authorisations |
From 5th January 2007 anyone transporting animals on journeys over 65km as part of an economic activity must hold a valid authorisation to do so.
There are two types of authorisation:
Short journeys – for over 65km and up to 8 hours duration
Long journeys – all journeys including those over 8 hours duration |
Authorisation application forms can be found on the Defra website's transport pages.
For more information on any of the above see the Defra website.