Police Training

Theory: We are teaching the foundations of animal transport controls.

Practice: After learning the foundations, animal transports are controlled together with our experts.

Animal transports need to be monitored by regulatory authorities during their journey, which is confirmed by the high number of animal welfare infringements documented during vehicle inspections. The legal allowance for long-term transports is up to 29 hours and national animal transports would often remain unchecked without police inspections. Without official inspections, these often problematic transports would remain unmonitored. Therefore, inspections by the motorway police or control groups specialising in heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) are essential in ensuring that animals are protected during transport.

Many police officers ask fundamental questions during animal transport controls, such as:

What are the signs to identify a sick animal?
How many animals are allowed to be loaded onto the vehicle?
Which transportation times are allowed for different types of animals?
Which watering systems are adequate for the animals?
Under which circumstances should the veterinary inspection office be consulted?

Therefore, we are offering training for police officers and interested veterinarians focusing on the protection of animals during transport. Sometimes the trainings take place in cooperation with other organisations like Eyes on Animals (Netherlands). Moreover, we were able to win Dr Alexander Rabitsch as an additional speaker for our training courses.

In Hungary, we trained over ten different motorway police units in cooperation with the Welfarm from 2012 until 2015.

In Poland, we have been offering police training since 2015 for the inspectors of Inspekcja Transportu Drogowego (ITD). By the beginning of 2023, it was possible to train police officers in 15 of 16 regions in Poland. More courses are planned.

Also, in Germany we were able to offer trainings in the federal states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg and Saxony for police and official veterinarians. More courses are planned in Germany in the future as well.

Investigations

18. April 2023

Germany: Police training in Winsen / Luhe

We have been invited for the sixth year in a row to hold a police seminar in Winsen (Germany) to train police officers on animal welfare issues related to long-distance transports. The seminar consists of a theoretical part and a practical part involving animal transport inspections on the German highways A1, A7, and A39 in Lower Saxony.

The 17…

31. January 2023

Investigation with the Polish Road Transport Inspection (ITD)

Our team is driving to Wroclaw in Western Poland to support the Road Transport Inspection (ITD) with the inspection of live transports in this area. Surprisingly, this time we do not get to inspect any truck with animals on board. Moreover, we do not observe a single livestock truck (even an empty one) for two consecutive days.

It may seem…

13. October 2022

Seminar on live transports for police and official veterinarians in Giessen (Germany)

During a seminar for police and official veterinarians, our project manager Iris Baumgärtner gives a lecture on welfare problems during live transports. She is supported by Dr Claudia Eggert-Satzinger, an official veterinarian with many years of experience with inspections of live transports. The main topic are the requirements of the European…

29. April 2022

Police Training: Seminar on the inspection of live transports

Following the invitation of Dr. Madeleine Martin from the Hessian Ministry of Environment, Climate Protection, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, our project manager Iris Baumgärtner holds a presentation on animal welfare problems during live transports. She is supported by Dr Claudia Eggert-Satzinger, an official veterinarian with many years of…

26. October 2021

Police Training | Osnabrück | Road inspections with police on the A33

The theoretical part of the seminar was followed today by road inspections on a parking lot at the A33. It was a successful day for the participants of the seminar, resulting in 22 inspected live transports. Besides several transports loaded with pigs, we inspected cattle, calves, chickens, turkey chicks, horses, fish, goat kids, and a truck with…

25. October 2021

Police Training | Osnabrück | Seminar on live transport – Theory

After the first seminar on road inspections of live transports in 2018 for the police in Osnabrück, we are now conducting a follow up seminar. Together with our expert, the veterinarian Dr Alexander Rabitsch, our team provides the welfare related provisions of the EU Regulation 1/2005, and the national regulation on the protection of animals during…

21. September 2020

Germany | Bautzen | Training on Animal Transports: Day 1

Today, our team is in Bautzen. Together with veterinarian Dr. A. Rabitsch we are holding a seminar on the EU Regulation (EC) 1/2005 on live transport. Our training is targeted for police officers and official veterinarians. In total, 23 police officers and four veterinarians are attending our training in Bautzen.

Our training consists of a…

13. March 2020

Poland | Koroszczyn, Korczowa | Training for Veterinary Inspection: Border and District Vets

On Tuesday, 10th of March, our team arrives at the border crossing in Koroszczyn to provide a training for border vets on the Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 in the context of live exports. The Polish border is of strategic importance, as it is an exit/entry point from and into the EU. The audience for the training is selected by the Chief…