EU treaty protects animals

While it looks like Thanet District Council have a fight on their hands following the ban on the live exports exports last year, it seems that the same EU legislation being used against them should be their defence.

As there are clear moral grounds for the ban on live exports and the same legislation being used against Thanet Council gives provision for the restriction of free trade to protect the health of animals under Article 36.

These live exports are cruel and the health of the sheep are clearly suffering. Thanet District Council, along with Dover, should reintroduce the ban immediately as they were clearly right to do so in the first instance. Far from being the problem, the EU laws are the ones likely to protect both the animals and the council.

See: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2010:083:0047:0200:en:PDF (Article 36)
Also: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/single-market-goods/files/goods/docs/art34-36/new_guide_en.pdf


Stuart Jeffery, EU Candidate for the South East

Article 36 says:

The provisions of Articles 34 and 35 shall not preclude prohibitions or restrictions on imports, exports or goods in transit justified on grounds of public morality, public policy or public security; the protection of health and life of humans, animals or plants; the protection of national treasures possessing artistic, historic or archaeological value; or the protection of industrial and commercial property. Such prohibitions or restrictions shall not, however, constitute a means of arbitrary discrimination or a disguised restriction on trade between Member States.