Madam President, the issue of the protection of animals during transport is of great concern to my constituents. I have had more letters on this issue than on any other since my election in June.

If we are to minimize suffering we need a network of slaughterhouses throughout the European Community. Yet bizarrely, the Commission's proposals on slaughterhouses are actually leading to the small ones being closed. The Commission appears to be unconcerned about this contradiction. We must aim to minimize the transport of animals for slaughter. We cannot eliminate it entirely: you have the problems of remote rural areas and small islands. I hope the Commission feels it has a responsibility to protect animals to the maximum extent possible during such transport. This can be done by adopting the eight-hour maximum for transport as soon as possible.