There are estimated to be 40 mink farms and 30 chinchilla farms currently in operation in the country, farming around 1 million animals for their fur each year. The bill requires fur farmers to cease trade by 2027, with the state providing financial compensation.
After successfully passing a majority vote in the Seimas last week, President Gitanas Nausėda signed a bill banning fur farming into law on 27 September.
Lithuania is the 20th Member State to adopt legislative restrictions on fur farming, providing a clear signal that European citizens overwhelmingly support the end of the fur industry.
In the past year alone, citizens have written nearly 27,000 letters to decision makers to demand an end to the brutal confinement and killing of animals for fur. Lithuania has made history and put yet another nail in the coffin of the cruel fur industry.
Gabriele Vaitkevičiūtė, Tušti Narvai
An EU-wide ban is the next step to bring regulations into line throughout the Member States, as promoted by the successful European Citizens’ Initiative Fur Free Europe.
A new Spanish law strengthens animal rights but exempts bullfights and hunting with dogs
MADRID (AP) — A new animal welfare law that took effect Friday in Spain outlaws the use of animals for recreational activities that cause them pain and suffering but allows bullfights and hunting with dogs.
Spain’s first specific animal rights legislation is intended to crack down on abuses. The law particularly targets the mistreatment of domestic animals, introducing fines of up to 200,000 euros ($212,000).
It bans the buying of pets in stores or online, but gives stores a grace period to find homes for their animals. In the future, it only will be legal to purchase pets from registered breeders. The new rules allow pets into most establishments, including restaurants and bars.
The law bans the use of wild animals at circuses and gives owners six months to comply. It allows zoos to keep using the marine mammals in their dolphin shows until the animals die.
Bullfights are regarded as part of Spain’s cultural heritage. A proposal to include hunting dogs in the law prompted an outcry in some rural communities, and the government backed down.
Government statistics estimate some 29 million animals are kept as pets in Spain, most of them dogs. But around 300,000 are abandoned each year, and about one-third of those are put down.
The law also aims to introduce mandatory pet insurance and registration as well as training for owners. However, those requirements and some other legal aspects were delayed because detailed administrative procedures have not been drawn up in the absence of a sitting government.
Spain’s July general election proved inconclusive, and political parties are in coalition-building talks.
Iceland has admitted collecting blood from pregnant mares to obtain the hormone PMSG is in breach of the EU legislation that it is supposed to comply with under the European Economic Area. As of November 2023, the country commits to correct this failure, bringing blood farms in Iceland one step closer to closure.
In March 2022, a number of animal protection organisations, including Eurogroup for Animals, lodged a complaint against Iceland to the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Surveillance Authority (ESA). Our claim was that Iceland was not respecting the rules established by the European Economic Area, an agreement that brings together EU Member States and the three EFTA States: Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
The complaint concerned high volume blood extraction from pregnant mares for the production of the hormone Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotropin (PMSG), also called Equine Chorionic Gonadotropin (eCG). This is a fertility hormone used in industrial animal breeding to increase the reproductive performance of farmed animals by synchronising their fertility cycles and increasing the number of offspring produced per year.
The complaint was accepted by ESA, who in May 2023 requested that Iceland respond on a clear breach of EU law, notably a breach of the Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes.
On 15 September 2023, the Icelandic authorities replied to ESA accepting that the procedure of collecting blood from pregnant mares for the production of PMSG/eCG does fall under the scope of Directive 2010/63/EU; hence, Iceland admits having failed to fulfil many obligations arising from this Directive.
Notably, Iceland admits failing to comply with the 3Rs principles of replacement, reduction and refinement, whereby animal experiments must be replaced by alternative methods not using live animals when possible, principles that are at the core of Directive 2010/63/EU.
There are numerous alternatives to PMSG/eCG available with similar efficacy, such as simple exercise routines, optimal nutrition, lighting, contact between sows in oestrus, and contact with boars.
Effective from 1 November 2023, Iceland will revoke non-compliant regulations on blood collection from pregnant mares, making such collections subject to Regulation 460/2017 in full compliance with Directive 2010/63/EU.
The open acknowledgement that a country has been in breach of Directive 2010/63/EU paves the way to an EU-wide ban on eCG production, importation and use, which will certainly ease the adoption of similar measures worldwide.
More information and link:
Equine Chorionic Gonadotropin (eCG), also called Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotropin (PMSG), is a hormone extracted from the blood of pregnant mares (female horses). It is used to increase and manage fertility in farmed animals such as pigs, sheep, goats and cattle.
Take action: ask President von der Leyen to deliver the animal welfare proposal
25 September 2023
The European Commission promised to publish a proposed revision of the EU’s animal welfare legislation this year. But we’re reaching the end of the year with no sign of this desperately needed update. The lives of billions of animals, and the wishes of millions of European citizens are being ignored.
On 13 September 2023, European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen held her annual State of the Union Address (SOTEU), outlining what the EC has achieved and what it will still do before the end of its political term in 2024. The animal welfare legislation was not mentioned, nor was it included in the 2024 letter of intent, contrary to the one published for 2023.
Over the past several years, millions of citizens have asked for better animal welfare laws to be delivered:
1.4 million citizens supported the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) End the Cage Age
The overwhelming majority of respondents to the 2016 Eurobarometer on animal welfare voted in favour of stronger animal protection measures in several areas
The EC promised to deliver the proposals for a revision of the legislation by the end of 2023. After SOTEU, our fight for the delivery of the legislation during this term is far from over.
Over the coming weeks, the EC will finalise its work programme for 2024 in dialogue with the Council and Parliament. We must do everything we can to ensure this work goes ahead as planned, and is completed before the end of the current term.
If it matters to Europeans, it matters for Europe.
President Ursula von der Leyen, State of the Union Address
Why trade agreements should not stop progress for animals
26 September 2023
Opinion
Written by Reineke Hameleers
As millions of citizens are waiting for the European Commission to deliver the proposals to revise the outdated EU animal welfare legislation, the EU seems to prioritise trade negotiations that are increasingly in a deadlock.
The current EU animal welfare legislation is obsolete and urgently needs to be reviewed, to take into account the latest scientific findings. As shown by the Commission’s own fitness check and the recent EFSA opinions, the current legislation is not fit for purpose. This revision is also a question of democracy: through different European Citizens Initiatives, Eurobarometer and petitions, EU citizens have vastly demonstrated their support for higher animal welfare.
The European Commission committed to publish the proposals by autumn of this year, although we remain on tenterhooks for this to see the light. It is high time that EU consumption stops fuelling cruel practices anywhere in the world. Yet, for this objective to be achieved, the new legislation will have to apply to all products placed on the EU market, including imported ones. This is something that the European Parliament, as well as many Member States, have already supported.
Evidently, this is likely to create discussions between the EU and its main trading partners, at a time when the President of the European Commission has committed to conclude important trade negotiations by the end of the year, notably with Mercosur countries. Should that stop the European Commission? Hopefully, the EU will not let its trade agenda freeze the path toward sustainable food systems, but if there were temptations to do so, it is important to remember key facts at play.
First, the EU-Mercosur negotiations are unlikely to make any significant progress during the remaining political term of this Commission. The EU-Mercosur deal has been greatly criticised over the negative consequences it could have not only for animals, but also for the planet and human rights. Already in October 2021, the European Parliament committed not to vote for it “as it stands”. The European Commission has thus put forward an “additional instrument” to be attached to the agreement, but the counteroffer recently made by Mercosur countries cast a significant shadow on the future of the talks.
South American countries are asking, among others, to create a mechanism that would allow them to be compensated, or to re-discuss trade concessions, if they feel that these concessions have been annulled or suspended by a measure adopted at the EU level. This would mean that even if the EU were to adopt a new legislation completely justified under the rules of the World Trade Organisation, the EU would still have to compensate Mercosur countries by granting further trade preferences on relevant products. This puts a price tag on every legitimate progress the EU wants to make: for animals, for the planet, for the people. This is unacceptable.
It is often argued that having more animal welfare-related import requirements would translate into a negative impact for small farmers in third countries. Yet, our recent report says just the opposite: most of the animal products imported into the EU originate from developed or middle-income countries. Lower-income countries are already prevented from exporting to the EU due to the sanitary and phytosanitary rules that need to be respected. In addition, exporters in these countries are mostly big multinational companies, sometimes already committed to achieve progress in the field of animal welfare. The EU might simply accelerate the change, rather than force it.
The European Union has been a pioneer in the field of animal welfare. The European Commission’s promise for a Green Deal cannot be complete without better animal welfare legislation. President von der Leyen must stick to her promise to publish the proposals before the end of this term.
According to the most recent Eurobarometer on animal welfare, 93% of European citizens want imported animal products to respect the same animal welfare standards as those applied in the European Union (EU). EU citizens do not want their consumption to fuel inhumane and unsustainable models of production beyond the EU’s borders. This report describes, for each key species, the impact that imposing animal welfare import requirements could have on source countries. To do so, it looks at the share that the EU market represents for top source countries – from an amount and a value perspective – and compares animal welfare standards with those applied in the EU. As exporters are often large multinational companies, it also identifies the commitments these companies have already adopted in the field of animal welfare, often beyond the legislative requirements where they are based.
Tell your Partner, South Korea, you oppose the torture and consumption of dogs and cats.
The Korea Herald reported on 5/3/2023, “Merck, a leading science and technology company based in Germany, said Wednesday it plans to build a bioprocessing unit in Daejeon, South Korea. Under a three-way memorandum of understanding signed by the firm with Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the government of Daejeon, they will discuss detailed plans for building the international pharmaceutical company’s new bioprocessing unit that can produce raw materials for drugs.”
In South Korea, there are numerous dog farms, slaughterhouses, markets, and restaurants where the dogs, who have been tortured their entire lives, end up being slaughtered in the most inhumane ways, such as by electrocution, hanging, or beating, and then thrown into boiling water – sometimes while they are still alive. In many places, dogs are being killed in full view of other terrified, caged dogs, and this takes place in broad daylight.
Therefore, we are asking that Merck Life Science reconsider any affiliation with South Korea and that they cancel plans to build a bioprocessing unit in Daejeon.
Chuncheon arrested CARE activists working to shut down illegal dog slaughterhouses
While working to shut down multiple dog slaughterhouses in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth (CARE) activists have been unjustly arrested by the Chuncheon Police. We have sent emails to Chuncheon’s Friendship city, Vejle, Denmark, and Gangwon province’s Sister State, Colorado, asking for their help in releasing the activists immediately and shutting down the massive illegal dog meat industry in Gangwon province.
📣 We still need a volunteer to translate our “Suggested Message” into Estonian for our campaign. Please contact me if you can help. 📧 KoreanDogs.org@gmail.com
Chickens on a factory farm. Photo: Depositphotos.com
Too many chickens often kept in small area: animal rights group
Animal rights organisation Wakker Dier is taking legal action against food and product safety board NVWA in an effort to get more space for chickens raised on factory farms.
The organisation says the Netherlands has been breaking EU rules for more than 10 years and has also asked the European Commission to intervene.
Since 2007 no more than 33 kilos of broiler chickens (chickens being raised to be eaten) can be raised within a square kilometre – the equivalent of roughly 16 chickens. However, farmers can deviate from this if they adhere to minimum welfare standards and the death rate on chicken farms is low.
Wakker Dier says Dutch factory farms have been able to profit from the exemption, allowing them up to 21 chickens a square metre, because the NVWA does not monitor whether farms are meeting all the rules.
And, says the aid group, national figures show many farmers who make use of the exemption do have a higher death rate than permitted.
Although Dutch supermarkets have virtually stopped selling the very cheapest, fast-growing chickens, known as plofkip, they do still produce the meat for export.
The European food safety body EFSA recently recommended a further reduction in the number of chickens barns can hold. Its research suggests that health problems begin when more than five or six birds are kept per square metre.
The NVWA and farm ministry are now in talks about the regulations, Wakker Dier said. Nevertheless, legal action and Brussels intervention are merited because “the NVWA is very slow at dealing with these sorts of issues,” Wakker Dier’s Anne Hilhorst said.
Why do fast-growing broiler chicken breeds need to be phased out?
18 September 2023
Photo – Act 4 Farmed Animals.
95% of the broiler chickens currently reared on factory farms are fast-growing, selectively bred to reach slaughter weight in just five to six weeks. Their growth rate has a huge impact on their health and welfare. Here’s why the EU must ban fast-growing broiler breeds as soon as possible.
Sickness. Exhaustion. Starvation. Broiler chickens commonly face all of these problems on factory farms, as the way in which they are bred results in a string of health issues that have a major impact on their physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. From the immense pressure their rapid growth puts on their bodies to the crowded conditions they are housed in, it’s clear fast-growing broiler breeds must be banned in the EU’s anticipated update to the animal welfare laws.
The European Commission is currently working on revising the animal welfare legislation for the first time in decades.
Learn more about the policies we are asking them to consider for all kept species, including broiler chickens, here.
What are the biggest health problems experienced by fast-growing broiler chickens?
Lameness: the skeletal systems and leg muscles of fast-growing broiler birds cannot keep up with their rapid growth and weight gain. They therefore have muscles far too heavy for their fragile bones, leading to gait problems and considerable pain. Up to 58.8% of broiler chickens reportedly suffer from lameness;
Lesions: due to their excessive weight, fast-growing broilers spend more time sitting than their slower-growing counterparts. It is common for them to develop lesions on their bodies that can become infected due to the poor hygiene standards in place on most factory farms. Contact dermatitis is also frequent in these systems, with up to 58% of industrially-farmed broiler birds reportedly suffering from lesions;
Heart failure: their unnatural growth rate puts immense pressure on the cardiovascular system, meaning countless birds die before slaughter.
What other factors make it impossible for fast-growing broiler chickens to lead comfortable lives?
Fast-growing broiler chickens are chronically hungry, which results in them experiencing near constant mental and physical distress.
They also generate a lot of body heat due to their high metabolic rates. With typical broiler houses containing thousands of birds, these spaces quickly become inhospitable, with chickens overheating. The consequences can be fatal.
To make matters worse, broiler houses are not cleared of litter until the birds have been taken to the slaughterhouse. This means that chickens have to live in their own faeces for weeks, and often end up suffering from respiratory problems, eye abnormalities and other health issues resulting from high levels of ammonia and other noxious gases.
Due to their sheer size and subsequent health problems, broiler chickens cannot engage with their environments and peers comfortably. Evidence shows that broilers are curious birds that want to explore and play, but breeding in a way that causes them to be chronically unhealthy, while also being crushed into huge flocks, means these birds don’t have the energy nor the means to express their natural behaviours.
Here’s what a day in the life of a typical factory farmed broiler chicken looks like.
The European Commission must ban the breeding of fast-growing broiler chickens
Fast-growing broiler breeds must be prohibited in the updated animal welfare legislation, and only slower-growing breeds should be permitted in Europe’s farming systems. These animals deserve a healthy life filled with positive experiences, which is only possible for birds of breeds with slower growth rates.
Citizens’ initiative to ban fur farming in Finland breaks records
13 September 2023
Susiryhmä
Having collected the required 50,000 signatures in just 24 hours, a Finnish citizens’ initiative calling for a national phase out of fur farming will now go to Parliament for debate.
Turkistarhaus historiaan (consign fur farming to history) calls for a law to ban fur farming in Finland within a reasonable transition period, in addition to rolling out a support system for fur farmers to ensure a fair transition for all.
Finnish citizens’ initiatives have 6 months in which to gather the required level of support.
After breaking records by acquiring the required 50,000 signatures in only one day, over 100,000 names have now been added. Signatures are collected on the Ministry of Justice’s website.
The organisers highlighted the suffering of animals such as mink and foxes, the economically unprofitable industry and public health risks as reasons why fur farming must be brought to an end.
The demand for a ban will be debated in the Finnish parliament after validation of the signatures.
The success of the initiative is another clear indication that European citizens want to see an end to fur farming, as proven by the European Citizens’ Initiative Fur Free Europe which gathered over 1.5 million validated signatures.
World Animals Voice 