Three young animal welfare activists with their bodies painted as animals led a small but vocal protest to call for a ban on the export of live animals in Dublin yesterday.
The protest had been organised by the Compassion in World Farming Organisation to highlight and oppose the new EU animal transport regulations which are likely to be agreed in Luxembourg next week.
The protest took place outside the Department of Agriculture and Food, where officials have been working to find a solution to the vexed question of live animal transport.
The Irish presidency has put forward compromise proposals aimed at bridging the gap between countries which want to see one short journey to slaughter houses for animals and those which want the trade to continue. The compromise is aimed at allowing the trade to continue but with longer journey times and provision for the unloading of animals at resting places for feed.
A number of countries want animals being transported through their territory to remain on lorries and this, Irish exporters say, would mean a reduction in the number of animals that could be carried and would render the trade from here unviable.
Yesterday, Ms Mary-Anne Bartlett, director of SERF Ireland, accused the Irish Government of having introduced a cynical set of rules which were even worse than the existing ones. The proposed rules would give many animals longer journeys than before as time on ferries had been excluded.
Ms Patricia McKenna MEP (Green) said the compromise flew in the face of the wishes of the European Parliament and her party would continue to lobby against it.