dozens the pigs died in the accident which concerned a truck used for transporting animals. The accident occurred on the morning of Monday, January 8, along provincial road 587 Cortemaggiore in the province Piacenza.
A heavy vehicle overturned at a height Borghettoand the impact caused the death of many animals crammed into the hold. Fortunately, only bruises for the driver and passenger. The operations to recover and secure the animals were long and complicated. Firefighters had to work for hours to free the pigs trapped inside the overturned vehicle, animals that came from the company in Cortemaggiore and they were headed for Brescia. Veterinarians from the local health authority of Piacenza also intervened at the scene of the accident.
Unfortunately, this is another accident that happens inside transport of animals and which causes so many deaths. The topic is long-standing and debated, and there have been calls for a revision of the legislation for a long time. Animal movement actually involves a lot risks to their well-being. During transport, including loading and unloading, animals experience a significant stresscaused by forced handling (often whipping or electric shocks, although prohibited) and factors such as noise, vibration, changes in temperature and humidity, changes in social groups, and overcrowding.
Animals can also suffer physical injuries and fractures as a result of falls, impacts, slips or sudden movements or inappropriate maneuvers during transport or during loading and unloading, and overcrowding of vehicles it can cause suffocation, stress and injury to animals as well as compromise their ability to move or assume natural positions. Added to this are the prohibitive conditions in which animals often travel, such as extremely high or low temperatures, lack of adequate ventilation, limited access to water and food resulting dehydration and malnutritionespecially when parking obligations are not observed during long journeys.
To mitigate these risks, EC Regulation No. 1/2005 “on the protection of animals during transport and related operations”, which regulates various aspects of transport, from travel conditions to training of operators, but associations have long demanded a transition to more up-to-date provisions that are more in line with the needs of ensuring animal welfare. It was introduced in December proposal to revise the regulation By the European Commission, but for Animal Equality, Animal Law Italia, CIWF Italia, essere Animali and Lav, the proposed changes are not sufficient to achieve the objectives.
“The Commission’s proposal turns out to be quite inadequate, even if it is predictable stricter requirements, to some extent for the transport of animals, such as the introduction of stricter restrictions on the length of certain journey times, for example to slaughterhouses, and for the transport of vulnerable animals, such as animals in an advanced stage of pregnancy and young calves – the associations stressed – the proposal does not actually impose restrictions on sea travel , introduces unreasonable limits for temperatures during travel and contains gaps created by poor definitions or missing species, for example for lambs transported over long distances. Provisions which, according to the association, are insufficient to prevent the worst abuse of animals during their transport and are ineffective in reducing their suffering.”