Day: June 19, 2023

Uncategorized

EU: The Message Is Clear – More than 1.5 million citizens ask for a Fur Free Europe – So Do It Now !

14 June 2023

Press Release

1,502,319 signatures were officially submitted to the European Commission (EC), calling on the EU to ban fur farming and the placement of farmed fur products on the market once and for all.

Fur Free Europe was launched in May 2022 and received the support of more than eighty organisations from all around Europe. It closed on March 1st, earlier than its official deadline, thanks to a record number of signatures collected: 1,701,892 in less than ten months. The ECI also successfully reached the signatures threshold in eighteen Member States. The signatures were submitted to the relevant Member State for validation. 

On all fronts, the existence of fur farming holds no reasonable grounds. In fur farms wild animals such as minks, foxes and racoon dogs are kept in tiny cages, hindered from displaying natural behaviour and killed solely because of the value of their fur. 

In addition, the farms pose a significant risk on animal and human health, as proven during the COVID-19 pandemic, when outbreaks caused variants to be transmitted from animals to humans. From an environmental perspective, the use of toxic chemicals in the production of fur makes it one of the most polluting industries. The fur industry also poses serious threats to biodiversity, with some farmed species escaped from fur farms now considered Invasive Alien Species (IAS), causing significant adverse impacts on European native wildlife.

The ECI organisers will now meet with the European Commission and then attend a public hearing at the European Parliament, after which the European Commission has to publicly respond to the initiative, before the end of the year.

This marks the 10th successful European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) since the tool was launched, and 7 out of 10 ECIs were dedicated to animal issues. Fur Free Europe represents the most successful ECI for animal welfare, and the third most successful overall.

The overwhelming public support to this initiative has made one thing clear: fur must become a thing of the past. We are so proud to have achieved yet another step towards ending this cruel and unnecessary practice and now we call on the EC to use the new animal welfare legislation to make the wish of 1.5 million European citizens come true.

Reineke Hameleers, CEO, Eurogroup for Animals

Notes

The Fur Free Europe campaign page

Regards Mark

Farm Animals, General News

EU: Animal welfare enhanced by Parliament in geographical indications revision.

15 June 2023

Eurogroup for Animals welcomes the recent vote in the European Parliament on the Commission’s proposal to strengthen geographical indications, a quality label for agricultural and wine products. The proposal identified that consumer concerns about animal welfare and sustainability are not adequately protected at present, which is welcome having in mind animal abuses previously denounced in the production of prestigious products like Parmigiano Reggiano or Jamon Serrano.

Last year the European Commission adopted a legislative proposal on revising the geographical indications scheme, aimed, among others, at strengthening the sustainability dimension of said scheme, notably by laying down requirements in light of the growing integration of these issues in GI value chains, validating those producers who have already integrated sustainability actions into their product specifications.

The amendments supported by the Parliament deviate from the Commission’s proposal in advantageous ways, notably by including language on animal welfare that was not originally present. Most notably, it expands the scope of EU rules that GI producers must comply with to include animal welfare and environmental rules, and specifies that compliance should be verified through appropriate controls. 

The EU register of GIs currently contains almost 3500 entries, with a sales value of €74.8 billion, and the system is recognised worldwide as representing the excellence of the EU’s agri-food sector. Increased attention to animal welfare is therefore essential to protecting the quality of GI products. 

While GIs are commonly viewed as high quality by consumers, many producers do not currently respect even the EU minimum animal welfare standards. Indeed, investigations into GI products have uncovered illegal practices, such as brutal violence on farms breeding pigs for Parma Ham (Essere Animali, 2018 investigation), cows farmed to produce Parmigiano Reggiano unable to graze on pasture (Compassion in World Farming, 2017 investigation), and dead calves and serious hygienic/sanitary neglect on farms producing Grana Padano (Essere Animali, 2021 investigation). 

Eurogroup for Animals will follow this process, to ensure the schemes referenced in the legislation are appropriate and to avoid it leading to humane washing.

Regards Mark