Animal welfare lobbyists have welcomed yesterday's vote by the European Parliament to impose more stringent controls on live exports in the EU.
Compassion in World Farming said the decision to impose a 12-hour rest period for every nine hours of travel would help to reduce injuries and illness in the trade.
However, it said, it still had "grave concerns" that animals would remain on board vehicles during such rest periods, proposing that a new regime of fattening animals near the farm of birth should be implemented.
The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) gave a cooler response to the proposals, claiming debate around the issue remained "emotionally charged".
The European Parliament decision follows a move last July by the EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, Mr David Byrne, to place the animal transport issue on the Commission's agenda. The Parliament recommendations, contained in a report of Mr Albert Jan Maat, rapporteur to the parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, will be considered next month by the EU's Council of Agricultural Ministers before becoming law.
The Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, is due to chair that meeting as part of the Irish presidency of the EU.
Live-export lobby groups are due to target him and other European ministers in the coming weeks in order to have the parliament proposals watered down.
Mr John Bryan, the IFA's national livestock chairman, who was in Strasbourg yesterday for the Parliament vote, stressed the need to "remove emotion from the debate and base the regulations on sound science and facts".
The Green Party deputy leader, Ms Mary White, described the proposals as a reasonable compromise.
"While in the long term we are looking for a phasing out of live exports we can't just pull the plug on farmers' livelihoods," she said.
As well as recommending increased space allowances on containers, and better enforcement of regulations, the Parliament voted for individual countries to be able to ban the export of live horses, for moral reasons.
