One of the premises of putting this regulation in is that animals are living things. At a minimum, they are living things; they are live. I don't think there's any question that they're alive when they're transported. That implies a duty of care and responsibility to a living thing that is being transported. Preventing animal suffering is part of what this regulation is all about. That can be addressed through good planning ahead of time, through making sure that the animals are comfortable while they're travelling, that they have access to rest periods, and feed and water when needed; and that they're safely loaded, unloaded, and handled with care by trained operators.
On April 6th, 2017. See this statement in context.