At the time of her death, Russell was protesting Bill 156, the Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act, which came into force just one day before she died.
The bill created “animal protection zones” that prohibit animal rights activists from interfering or interacting with the farm animals in a motor vehicle.
The province enacted the legislation in response to demands from the agricultural industry and about 120 municipal resolutions calling on the government to do more to control trespassing.
Ontario argued the legislation was aimed at “protecting animal safety, biosecurity, and the safety of farmers as well as preventing economic harm that can arise from threats to animal safety and biosecurity.”
Eurogroup for Animals, alongside other major EU NGOs, is asking the European Court of Justice to join the court case holding the European Commission (EC) to account for failing to deliver on its promise to end cage farming in Europe, as millions of animals continue to spend their lives confined in cages.
The court case, brought forward by the Citizens Committee of the End the Cage Age ECI, spearheaded by Compassion in World Farming, is holding the EC accountable for failing to bring forward the legislative proposals it promised in response to the ECI, in which 1.4 million EU citizens demanded an end to cage farming.
The EC had pledged to present proposals by the end of 2023, but it backtracked on its commitment, disregarding the comprehensive reports, consultations, and preparations that had been completed. This betrayal of trust undermines the legitimate expectations of citizens who demanded better protection of farm animals.
For the past years, Eurogroup for Animals has continuously supported the End the Cage ECI, and if accepted by the Court, it will have the opportunity to present its arguments, alongside the ECI Campaign and Animal Equality Italy, as an official intervener.
Across the EU, around 300 million pigs, hens, rabbits, ducks, quail and geesespend most of their lives in cages every year. Laying hens and rabbits are confined to barren cages about the size of an A4 sheet of paper. Sows are forced to nurse their piglets in crates so small they can’t even turn around. Ducks and geese are caged for force feeding to produce foie gras.
While the court case might take up to 18 months to complete, animal protection and democracy NGOs encourage the EC to quickly come forward with a proposed timeline, and to make the file a priority in the next legislature. This will allow concerned stakeholders to start to invest in future-proof solutions.
EU citizens have made use of the democratic tool at their disposal – they want these millions of animals out of cages. There is no argument against ending animal suffering.
Yet with the Commission’s silence on the issue, we do question the very democratic purpose of the ECI, which was specifically introduced to allow EU citizens to shape EU decision making.
Reineke Hameleers, CEO, Eurogroup for Animals.
The European Commission must deliver on its legally binding commitment to ban caged animal farming. Its failure to do so not only impacts around 300 million farmed animals suffering every year in cages, it damages our environment and makes a mockery of the ECI as a democratic tool for EU citizens, especially for the 1.4 million who signed it. We will not rest until the Commission delivers on its promise and every cage is an empty cage.
Annamaria Pisapia, Head of Compassion in World Farming Italy and spokesperson for the Citizens’ Committee of the EtCA ECI.
As accession negotiations between the EU and Ukraine start this week, Eurogroup for Animals highlights the need to prioritise animal welfare in the discussions, to ensure that through the right support, Ukraine elevates its standards to match those envisioned in the Union.
The accession of Ukraine to the EU is an opportunity to improve the lives of millions of animals, given Ukraine’s substantial livestock agriculture. At present, Ukraine represents the second largest egg producer after France, and has the fourth largest poultry sector. Agricultural products account for 41% of Ukraine’s exports, with animal products estimated to make up almost a third of this, most of which are poultry and eggs. In 2023 alone, millions of animals were farmed and slaughtered in the country, of which 712 million poultry. Yet, current animal welfare standards in Ukraine fall below current EU standards.
While it is welcome that Ukraine is already taking steps to match EU standards through the adoption of rules on keeping farm animals, it is crucial that negotiations reflect upcoming EU standards, like cage free-farming. This will allow producers to make future-proof investments, avoiding additional changes and costs in the coming years, and ensuring that Ukraine is already aligned with standards in other Member States when accession is complete. The EU should support this transition by providing details on the upcoming animal welfare legislation and through adequate support to joining countries.
This should also apply to the implementation of other animal-related EU laws, such as protection of wildlife and biodiversity, which have been significantly threatened by Russia’s war in Ukraine, as well as animals used in science and companion animals.
These negotiations also offer a chance for the EU to rethink its farm policies, particularly in ensuring that funds are not supporting unsustainable farming practices.
Considering the scale of agriculture in the country, Ukraine would be eligible for a quarter of the CAP budget, sparking discussions on the current payment model based on hectares. These policies should include stronger conditionality to the improvement of animal welfare and supporting transitions from intensive farming to a resilient, sustainable one.
The accession negotiations coincide with the next legislative term, a crucial one for animal welfare: the European Commission must come forward with revised animal welfare legislation that provides adequate protection for all farm animals, from farm to slaughter, while a concrete timeline and action plan for ending cage farming should be a priority.
We welcome the start of negotiations with Ukraine to join the EU, and hope that the chance is used to elevate the lives of millions of animals in the country. Failing to support Ukraine to transition to anticipated EU animal welfare standards would lead to a two-speed Europe, which would not only be bad news for the animals but also for EU consumers and producers. It is therefore vital that the EU comes forward with revised legislation and an action plan to end cage farming across the continent, including in Ukraine, as soon as possible.
Citizens and activists are making a stand for animals, calling for a ban on live animal exports across the globe.
Ban Live Exports International Awareness Day, on 14th of June, marks the same day in 2015 when 13,000 sheep tragically lost their lives during a long sea journey from Romania to Somalia. Since then, campaigners have continued to call for an end to this practice, in which animals endure horrific conditions such as overcrowding and extreme temperatures causing enormous pain and distress. Millions of live animals are transported each year by road, rail, sea and air across continents on journeys lasting up to three weeks.
Great Britain introduced a ban on live exports for fattening and slaughter just weeks ago, while Australia announced that live sheep exports by sea would be banned from 2028. New Zealand introduced a ban on live animal exports in 2023, but the legislation is currently in jeopardy as a new coalition government has vowed to repeal the law. In Brazil, the federal court also ruled last year that no live animals should be exported from the country’s ports.
The EU’s promised comprehensive review of animal welfare legislation offered hope for a ban on live exports, yet last year the Commission missed the opportunity to switch to a carcass-only trade, announcing weak amendments to transport regulations.
Across the world, thetide is turning. Governments are waking up to the unnecessary cruelty this barbaric industry inflicts on millions of sentient animals transported across the world each year like cargo.Our message is clear – we call on the European Commission to end this unnecessary trade and switch to carcass-only exports.
Susanna Blattner, Farmed Animals Programme Officer, Eurogroup for Animals
Today is #BanLiveExports International Awareness Day where people across the world call for an end to the cruel & unnecessary practice of transporting live animals for slaughter or fattening.
Join us -share this video calling for a ban & a switch to a carcass-only trade now! pic.twitter.com/ZbNoirFZLO
— Eurogroup For Animals (@Act4AnimalsEU) June 14, 2024
A video shared for this day captures some of the suffering these animals endure, including stress, dehydration, exhaustion, overheating and injuries.
This Ban Live Exports International Awareness Day, people are being urged to stand up for animals by sharing the video on social media, using the hashtag #BanLiveExports.
Three recent investigations put Lidl’s treatment of animals under fire
10 June 2024
AWO
Animal Welfare Observatory’s investigations reveal significant animal welfare abuses across several farms in Spain and Germany connected to Lidl.
The seriousness of the breaches uncovered emphasises once more the urgent need for EU policy-makers to revise the Kept Animals Regulation, as countless sentient beings are shown to be suffering in the most egregious conditions.
[VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED]
Three investigations from the Animal Welfare Observatory, published between 2023 and 2024, shows both broiler chickens and pigs (including sows, piglets and fattening pigs) enduring illnesses and malformations while living in disgusting conditions across farms in Spain and Germany, connected to the supermarket chain Lidl. Workers are displayed showing very little care for these sentient beings, and in places, even revelling in the discontent of the animals.
Fast-growing broiler chickens cannot cope with their growth rate
The first of the three investigations consists of footage recorded between September 2022 and 2023, taken at large-scale farms in northwest Germany.
The footage shows fast-growing broiler chickens experiencing physical and mental distress due to their unnatural growth rate which, as we have explored in a recent article and report, makes it impossible for them to live comfortable or satisfying lives.
As the recordings reveal, these fast-growing birds are barely able to move. Elsewhere in the video, day-old chicks are shown being roughly thrown to the ground and mishandled, while deformed chickens struggle to walk, and display twisted necks and other malformations. Coexisting with dozens of corpses, several birds show signs of “botulism”, a debilitating condition that can be passed on through contact with dead birds.
Diseased pigs are living in squalor and agony
Subsequent investigations published in November 2023 and May 2024 show pigs living in gruesome conditions on various farms in Burgos, Spain.
In the first of these investigations, the Animal Welfare Observatory recorded the living conditions of 5,000 pigs spread across five sheds. Extreme physical ailments make life for these pigs very difficult:
Breeding sows are so thin their spines are showing, and have infected and gangrenous wounds due to spending all their time behind bars;
Piglets are shown to be trembling, sick and malformed while being abused by workers;
Fattening pigs live with hematomas, abscesses and skin lesions that are compatible with scabies. Several also have hernias – in the footage, one has a hernia so large it scrapes the floor, weighing about seven kilos.
The horrors captured on this farm were mirrored by one further investigation published by the NGO in May 2024, showing pigs living in similarly filthy confines – the footage captures feeders full of insects, worms, rats and spider webs. Here, several pigs are also shown to be suffering from hernias, deformities and infections, and are suffering from severe abuse: in one capture, a worker delivers blows with a spiked hammer to mark the pigs that are to be taken to the slaughterhouse.
Animal welfare policies must be enforced to stop this kind of suffering
These kinds of animal rights abuses should not be slipping through the cracks in the EU’s farming industry. Not only do we need better laws to protect all kept animals, but standards must be put in place to ensure these laws are enforced, to truly safeguard the welfare of these sentient beings.
Pig producers across the EU should deliver higher welfare standards than the EU Pig Directive currently requires, say activists who are now calling for better practices and additional measures to ensure pig welfare.
“The legislation that exists right now, the EU Pig Directive, is seriously out of date, and it really needs to be brought up to date with current understandings of animal welfare science,” says Jo Swabe Senior Director of Public Affairs at Humane Society International Europe (HSI/Europe).
As the ‘End the Cage Age’ row rages, removing cages within pig husbandry is a significant part of the issue. “Pigs can still be isolated in an individual crate for up to 28 days of the gestation period,” said Swabe, adding that preventing the mutilation of piglets, through castration, tail docking and earmarking is also a top priority.
What does the evolution of animal welfare laws tell us about our society’s values and priorities?
The legal environment regarding animal welfare has seen a substantial change in the United States within the last ten years.
Driven by both public demand and evolving ethical standards, state and federal governments have enacted numerous laws aimed at protecting animals from cruelty and enhancing their living conditions. Let’s take a closer look.
Since 2002, 11 states have restricted or banned gestation crates but Utah is not among them. Pork producers keep sows in these cramped crates throughout their lives, artificially impregnate them and take away their young to keep up with the demand for meat.
As of December 2021, Utah farms accounted for just over 1% of the total U.S. hog inventory, according to the National Pork Producers Council.
Devon Dear, institutional outreach manager for the group Animal Equality, said improvements have been made, but more needs to be done.
“We’ve seen some really big players in this industry move away from crates; McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Jack in the Box, Chipotle, Shake Shack, Panera Bread,” Dear outlined. “These companies have significantly reduced or eliminated crates from their supply chain, so we know it can be done successfully.”
Dear added around 60% of pigs in the U.S. are crated for their entire pregnancies and will spend, on average, 74% of their lives in crates. The report lists corporations like Denny’s, Chick-fil-A, Dunkin’ and KFC among others as not being aggressive enough in reducing their crate usage. Dear hopes the Farm Bill currently being debated in Congress can help advance the issue.
Over 1000 candidate MEPs have committed to work towards better animal welfare in the EU, should they be elected in the current European Elections.
The Vote for Animals campaign, run by Eurogroup for Animals and its members, asks candidates to take a pledge committing to do more for better protection of all animals at EU level.
Candidates spanning the entire political spectrum across 27 Member States have made the commitment. Spain, Italy, Finland and France have the largest number of candidates supporting the pledge.
The Vote for Animals pledge calls for:
New species-specific legislation for all farmed species, and a transition to non-cage systems within five years, as promised in response to the End the Cage Age ECI.
An end to the suffering of animals during live transport, moving away from live animals towards transporting meat products.
Higher standards for aquatic species, both farmed and wild, in farming, transport and slaughter; and a ban on the introduction of octopus farming.
A Common Agricultural Policy that supports a sustainable food system, and a transition to higher animal welfare, and a shift towards plant-based diets.
Trade requirements that respect the same standards as those established by revised EU legislation.
Raised efforts and resources to accelerate the transition to non-animal methods in research, and support the scientific community to shift towards animal-free testing.
Better legislation for wild animals, including a positive list of animal species allowed to be kept as pets, strengthened EU legislation for zoos, action against wildlife trafficking, and humane methods in wildlife management.
A ban, without delay, of fur farms and fur products on the EU market, as per the demands of the Fur Free Europe ECI.
Full traceability, improved breeding practices, stricter controls on sales and transportation, and better treatment of companion animals.
An EU commissioner responsible for animal welfare, to ensure consistent attention and action in this area.
The feedback to our Vote for Animals campaign is reflective of the demands of EU citizens for better protection for animals. It is now time to go and vote, to help shape an EU that will place animal welfare at the forefront, and ensure revised and better legislation that is fit for a progressive Europe
The conditions of animals in factory farms will be put under the spotlight in a mobile exhibition set to tour in 15 European cities in the coming months. The mobile truck, which will make its way across Europe, transforms into an interactive exhibition place, offering a unique experience to visitors.
The initiative For the Animals, by Project 1882, will allow citizens to witness first-hand the mistreatment endured by animals in factory farms around Europe and emphasise the urgent need for stronger EU legislation to protect them.
The mobile exhibition will offer visitors informative, knowledge-building and engaging activities that will help to inform them about current animal welfare issues, as well as opportunities for change. It also seeks to urge policymakers to prioritise animal welfare at the EU level, particularly by pushing for the long-awaited animal welfare legislation, which is yet to be published.
The unique mobile event acts as a meeting place in large European cities, where both the public and elected officials have the opportunity to meet and share information.
How we treat animals is one of the great existential questions of our time. With our tour across Europe, Project 1882 will shed light on the systematic suffering endured by animals in factory farms every day. The European Commission has failed to deliver on its promises. Proposals for new animal welfare legislation exist, but they are not being presented, which is a betrayal of both citizens and animals.
Benny Anderson, CEO, Project 1882
Since its establishment in 1882, Project 1882 has been working to improve the lives of animals who are widely exploited and suffer most. The For the Animals tour marks the organisation’s latest effort to elevate animal rights issues on the Commission’s agenda.
The tour will start in Helsinki on 6 June, followed by visits to cities such as Berlin, Madrid, and Lisbon, before finally reaching the EU headquarters in Brussels in the fall.
The list of tour stops will be regularly updated here.
World Animals Voice 