5th meeting of WOAH regional network of National Contact Points on long-distance transportation in Europe

The 5th meeting of the WOAH Network of National Contact Points on Long-Distance Transportation (NCPT) in Europe was held from 11th to 13th March 2025 in Thessaloniki, Greece. The meeting brought together 51 participants, including representatives from 41 WOAH member countries in the European region, and relevant stakeholders. Additionally, to share our regional NCPT network experience with other WOAH regions, colleagues from Jordan, Thailand, and Uruguay also joined the meeting.

The meeting gave the opportunity to reengage NCPT and advance with common efforts to strengthen collaboration and communication between Competent Authorities in ensuring animal welfare during transport in the context of the WOAH standards. Members’ representatives have contributed by sharing their experiences with livestock vessel management during emergencies, procedures on animal welfare during sea transport, and challenges of transport of unweaned animals and under extreme weather. Stakeholders, livestock and meat traders and animal welfare organisations, also had the opportunity to share their perspectives on ensuring animal welfare during transportation. In addition, the EU Commission also shared its view on animal transport challenges and updated on relevant EU activities.

The first group exercise focused on improving collaborative procedures for routines and emergency communication between Competent Authorities and allowed the revision of proposed template documents. Participants had the opportunity to exchange knowledge and present challenges, providing possible solutions. The feedback gathered during the exercise provides a solid foundation to develop a draft template, which will be shared with the NCPT for a final round of review and comments.

The second working group exercise on the development of a self-assessment tool on implementation standards on animal welfare transport allowed us to consult with the network’s needs and feasibility of the tool, as well as to review the proposed data collection questionnaire. Participants recognised the benefits of the tool, and the need of its development and implementation.

Meeting outcomes and conclusion

Participants confirmed the effectiveness of the NCPT network in enhancing communication to address animal welfare issues emerging during long-distance transport. The workshop also emphasised the importance of sharing experiences and knowledge through the network.

The discussion during the meeting highlighted the following points:

• the collaborative approach of the network ensures animal welfare during transport based on the common framework of the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code, with Competent Authorities operating within their respective national and multi-national legal frameworks (e.g. regional economic communities) legal frameworks
• the utility of the proposed template document for facilitating communication between Competent Authorities in addressing animal welfare issues
• the self-assessment tool for monitoring the implementation of animal transport standards is a valuable tool for identifying gaps and areas for improvement, supporting data-driven policy, and measuring progress over time.

The participants also identified key topics for further discussion during the next meetings covering: sea transport procedures (including roll on-roll off transport), legislation and enforcement procedures,  fitness for transport, animal base measured for welfare assessment and further efforts on improving information exchange between Competent Authorities including transport pre-approvals.

Finally, participants provide their feedback regarding the proposed plan for enhancing the network to facilitate the exchange of information and the network’s engagement in between annual meetings.

The 5th meeting of the NCPT provided a productive platform for strengthening collaboration and advancing best practices in long-distance animal transportation. The outcomes of the meeting reinforce the importance of continued engagement, knowledge and experience exchange and developing tools to support the effective implementation of WOAH  standards on animal transport.

Programme