"The PAN, together with its counterparts in Europe, as well as the European Greens, advocates for the end of live animal transport", stated Pedro Fidalgo Marques, pointing out "transporting the animals' carcasses" as the solution.

In the opinion of the candidate from the People-Animals-Nature Party, animals should "be slaughtered in the most dignified way possible" and, in addition to ensuring "the cold chain", animal transport should be "in carcasses".

"This is the solution that the PAN advocates and that, in addition to being the least bad, because there are no ideal solutions for animal transport, will also be the best and safest in terms of food safety and people's well-being", he stressed.

Pedro Fidalgo Marques was speaking to journalists at the Port of Sines, in the district of Setúbal, during a campaign event for the European elections, in which he warned of yet another live animal shipment by sea.

"We came here to the Port of Sines to draw attention to the transport of live animals, which has been taking place since yesterday [Monday] night and will continue today", he denounced.

For the PAN's top candidate, who was accompanied by the party's spokesperson, Inês de Sousa Real, this way of transporting animals "must be stopped" in the European Union.

"We are talking about animals that often, when the ships are adrift in the middle of the ocean, die of thirst, die of hunger" and, once at their destination, "arrive sick", representing "a problem for our food safety and for the health of the people who will consume these animals", he considered.

And that is why he reiterated the commitment to move forward with the proposal to create the figure of a European Commissioner for Animal Welfare as a way to "prioritize the issue of animal protection and welfare".

"This Commissioner will be essential" to defend not only "companion animals", but also "farm animals" and "biodiversity", he stressed.

According to data provided to journalists by members of the Anti-Live Animal Transport Platform (PATAV), who were accompanying the PAN's campaign event, in 2022, a total of 430,662 sheep and 188,809 cattle were transported through national ports.

Questioned about the European directive on the transport of live animals in the European Union, the PAN candidate defended that it should be adapted and "transposed into the legislation of the various Member States".

"Clearly this is something that is within the sphere of the European Parliament and the European Commission to change this European directive so that we can end the transport of live animals", he defended.

Questioned about possible compensations to the producers and breeders of these animals, Pedro Fidalgo Marques said that the PAN "advocates for the revision of the Common Agricultural Policy" for "a Common Food Policy".

"One of the aspects is the reconversion of this livestock industry, with support for this reconversion" and "investing in legumes and vegetable protein", defended the European candidate.

In Portugal "we should invest in vegetable protein, we only invest about 2%. Portugal has an extremely fertile soil for legumes and, in fact, economic studies say that it will be a much more profitable area for farmers", he concluded.

Read Also: Zelensky. PAN regrets the absence of an invitation to "all political forces" (Portuguese version)