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Conf. 10.21

Transport of live animals

RECALLING Resolution Conf. 9.23, adopted at the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (Fort Lauderdale, 1994), relating to the transport of live specimens;

CONSIDERING that the Convention, in Articles III, IV and V, requires Management Authorities to be satisfied, before granting export permits or re-export certificates, that specimens will be so prepared and shipped as to minimize the risk of injury, damage to health or cruel treatment;

NOTING that the revised version of the Guidelines for Transport and Preparation for Shipment of Live Wild Animals and Plants, adopted at the second meeting of the Conference of the Parties (San José, 1979), has been communicated to all Parties;

MINDFUL of the fact that implementation of these Guidelines depends on action to be taken at the national level, and within international organizations and conferences competent to regulate conditions of carriage;

CONSIDERING that air transport is the preferred method for transporting many live wild animals and that there are special requirements necessitated by air transport;

NOTING the extent to which the IATA Live Animals Regulations correspond to the CITES Guidelines and that the IATA Regulations are amended annually and are therefore more quickly responsive to changing needs;

WHEREAS Article XIV, paragraph 1, permits any Party to adopt stricter domestic measures for the regulation of trade in all species, whether or not listed in the Appendices;

NOTING that, while there have been improvements in the transport of live animals, mortality for certain species has not been reduced significantly, despite continuing efforts by the Parties to improve transport conditions, and that mortality in transport undermines the concept of sustainable trade;

MINDFUL that, because of a number of biological and other factors, some species are far more difficult to prepare and ship without risk of injury, damage to health or cruel treatment than others;

RECOGNIZING the important work of the Working Group on the Transport of Live Animals in advising the Parties and providing technical assistance in conjunction with the Secretariat;

NOTING the lack of regional representation of the Parties at meetings of the Working Group on the Transport of Live Animals;

AGREEING that the effective implementation of Article IV, paragraph 2 (c), of the Convention necessitates further specific evaluation of the problem, analysis of information and recommendations to the Parties for remedial or corrective action;

THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION

DIRECTS the Animals Committee to deal with matters related to the transport of live animals;

RECOMMENDS that:

a) suitable measures be taken by the Parties to promote the full and effective use by Management Authorities of the Guidelines for Transport and Preparation for Shipment of Live Wild Animals and Plants and that they be brought to the attention of carriers, freight forwarders and international organizations and conferences competent to regulate conditions of carriage by air, land and sea or inland waterways;

b) Parties invite the above organizations and institutions to comment on and amplify these Guidelines, so as to promote their effectiveness;

c) the regular communication of the CITES Secretariat and the Standing Committee with the Live Animals and Perishables Board of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) be continued and that a relationship with the Animals Transportation Association (AATA) be developed;

d) for as long as the CITES Secretariat and the Standing Committee agree, the IATA Live Animals Regulations be deemed to meet the CITES Guidelines in respect of air transport;

e) except where it is inappropriate, the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be used as a reference to indicate suitable conditions for carriage by means other than air;

f) the IATA Live Animals Regulations be incorporated into the domestic legislation of the Parties;

g) applicants for export permits or re-export certificates be notified that, as a condition of issuance, they are required to prepare and ship live specimens in accordance with the IATA Live Animals Regulations for transport by air and the CITES Guidelines for Transport of Live Specimens for carriage by means other than air;

h) to the extent possible, shipments of live animals be examined and necessary action taken to determine the well-being of the animals by CITES-designated persons or airline personnel during extended holding periods at transfer points;

i) where Parties to the Convention have designated ports of entry and exit, animal-holding facilities be provided; and

j) to the extent possible, Parties ensure that animal-holding facilities are open for inspection of shipments, with the concurrence of the transport company, by CITES-designated enforcement personnel or designated observers; and that any documented information be made available to the appropriate authorities and transport companies;

URGES all Parties that permit imports of live animals: to maintain records of the number of live specimens per shipment and of mortalities in transport of species listed in the Appendices; to note obvious causes of mortality, injury or damage to health; and to provide these data relating to the previous calendar year along with their annual reports;

DECIDES that non-submission of these data will be noted in a report from the Secretariat to the Standing Committee;

DIRECTS further the Animals Committee, in consultation with the Secretariat:

a) to establish the format for the presentation of data on mortality and injury or damage to health in transport; and

b) to conduct a systematic review of the scope and causes of the mortality and injury or damage to health of animals during the shipment and transport process and of means of reducing such mortality and injury or damage to health;

i) the review should include a process for making recommendations to the Parties designed to minimize mortality, on the basis of consultation with exporting, importing, re-exporting and transit countries, IATA and AATA, and additional information from scientists, veterinarians, zoological institutions, trade representatives, carriers, freight forwarders and other experts; and

ii) these recommendations should be focused on individual species and countries of export, import, re-export or transit where appropriate, particularly those that have significant high mortality rates in transport, and should be designed to provide positive solutions to identified problems;

DIRECTS the Secretariat:

a) to convey these recommendations to the exporting, importing or re-exporting Parties concerned, IATA and AATA after they have been approved by the Standing Committee; and

b) in consultation with the Animals and Standing Committees, to monitor the implementation of these recommendations and of other aspects of this Resolution and report its findings and recommendations at each meeting of the Conference of the Parties;

INVITES non-governmental organizations, particularly veterinary, scientific, conservation, welfare and trade organizations with expertise in the shipment, preparation for shipment, transport, care or husbandry of live animals, to provide the necessary financial, technical and other assistance to those Parties in need of and requesting such assistance to ensure the effective implementation of the provisions of the Convention for the transport and preparation for shipment of live animals subject to international trade;

NOTES that in order to improve implementation of the IATA Live Animals Regulations by the Parties there is a need for greatly increased awareness of the Regulations through:

a) more effective methods of training of personnel of airlines and enforcement agencies; and

b) improved methods of liaison and information; and

REPEALS Resolution Conf. 9.23 (Fort Lauderdale, 1994) - Transport of Live Specimens.