On 13 December 1968, in Paris, the European Convention for the Protection of Animals during International Transport, ETS No. 65, is opened for signature. The signatories are the member States of the Council of Europe. The authentic texts are English and French, in a single copy deposited in the archives of the Council. The depositary is the Secretary General, who transmits certified copies. It is not the revised convention CETS No. 193, opened at Chisinau on 6 November 2003.

The preamble starts from the conviction that the requirements of international transport of animals are not incompatible with the welfare of the animals, and from the desire to safeguard them, as far as possible, from suffering, through common provisions. Article 1 requires each Party to apply the Convention. International transport means any movement which involves the crossing of a frontier; frontier traffic is excluded. The competent authorities of the country of dispatch decide whether a transport conforms; the country of destination or intermediate countries may dispute that, but a consignment shall be detained only when strictly necessary for the welfare of the animals. Each Party shall take the necessary measures so that, in strikes or other unforeseeable circumstances, the suffering of animals is avoided or reduced to a minimum.

Article 2 applies the Convention to the international transport of domestic solipeds and domestic animals of the bovine, ovine, caprine and porcine species; of domestic birds and domestic rabbits; of domestic dogs and domestic cats; of other mammals and birds; and of cold-blooded animals. Chapters II to VI set out, by category, the preparation of animals for loading, the means of transport, fitness for transport, care, veterinary checks and the particular rules for rail, road, water and air.

For solipeds and the farm animals in Chapter II, Article 3 requires inspection before loading by an authorised veterinary officer of the exporting country, who issues a certificate of fitness. Article 4 does not treat as fit animals likely to give birth during carriage or having given birth during the preceding 48 hours. Article 6 requires adequate space and, unless special conditions require otherwise, room to lie down, protection against the weather, ventilation appropriate to the species, and water and food at suitable intervals; animals shall not be left more than 24 hours without being fed and watered, unless the journey to unloading can be completed within a reasonable period. Bovines shall not be tied by the horns.

Article 7 requires segregation by species and, for bovine, soliped and porcine animals, the separation of mature uncastrated males from females. Article 8 requires non-slip bridges, ramps or gangways; animals shall not be lifted by the head, horns or legs. Article 10 requires an attendant, subject to the exceptions provided. Article 12 provides that animals which become ill or injured during transport shall receive veterinary attention as soon as possible and, if necessary, be slaughtered in a way which avoids unnecessary suffering. Article 14 requires that animals be transported to their destination as soon as possible and that delays, particularly in transhipment, be reduced to a minimum.

Article 48 opens the Convention to signature by the member States and subjects it to ratification or acceptance. It shall enter into force six months after the deposit of the fourth instrument. Those conditions were later met; the Convention entered into force on 20 February 1971. For a State which ratifies later, the period is likewise six months. Article 49 allows non-member States to accede, on invitation by the Committee of Ministers. Article 51 keeps it in force indefinitely; denunciation takes effect six months after receipt of the notification by the Secretary General.

It is not the European Convention for the Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes of 10 March 1976, and not the European Convention for the Protection of Animals for Slaughter of 10 May 1979. It is not Protocol ETS No. 103 of 1989, which later opened the Convention to the European Economic Community. It is not the revised Chisinau convention of 2003, which requires denunciation of the 1968 convention before ratification.

Image: French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Quai d Orsay, Paris; Jebulon, 18 December 2011; CC0, Wikimedia Commons. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: European Convention for the Protection of Animals during International Transport. Treaty text: European Convention for the Protection of Animals during International Transport, Paris, 13 December 1968.