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Animal Rights Activists Stage ‘Sea Of Blood’ Protest In Pamplona « Euro Weekly News
Regards Mark
Category: Farm Animals
AGRIFISH: Member States call for a Fur Free Europe
26 June 2023
Press Release
A majority of Member States called today for a ban on fur farming and asked the European Commission (EC) to examine the possibility of a ban on the placement of farmed fur products on the European market, supporting the recently submitted Fur Free Europe ECI.
During today’s Agriculture and Fisheries Council (AGRIFISH), the Austrian, German and Netherlands delegations submitted an information note, supported by the Belgian, Cyprus, Czech, Estonian, Lithuanian, Luxembourg and Slovak delegations, calling for a ban on fur farming and to examine the possibility of introducing a ban on the sale and marketing of farmed fur products. The paper then received the support of seven other Member States during the meeting.
It’s the second time that the Council expressed its favour for an end to fur farming. Indeed back in 2021, the signatories of another information note called on the EC to take action to permanently end fur farming in the EU based on animal welfare, ethics as well as health risks for humans and animals.
The new call comes just after the formal submission of the successful Fur Free Europe ECI which collected more than 1.5 million validated signatures in less than 10 months.
19 Member States have already totally or partially banned or strictly regulated fur farming, sometimes with phasing-out periods. However, the lack of harmonisation in the EU undermines those very measures: fur farming can be “outsourced” with farms moving to other Member States, as a result, distorting the internal market. Moreover, it’s important not only to ban fur farming but the placement of farmed fur products on the European market, in order to ensure that fur produced under similarly cruel conditions in third countries is not sold within the EU.
The Member States called on the EC to uphold its commitment to pay “full regard to the welfare of animals” in line with Article 13 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). The note also refers to the EC’s commitment to end caged farming systems for other animals and how maintaining these systems for fur farms would be incongruous. They emphasised that under no conditions can the welfare of wild animals on fur farms be protected.
A number of scientists have also called on the European Commission to end such practices saying that the significant danger for humans and terrible suffering for animals requires urgent and proportionate action.
The support for a Fur Free Europe is yet again across the board: citizens, scientists and Member States spoke up against this cruel and unnecessary practice. With the constant decline in fur production since the last decade, followed by a sharp decrease due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fur industry has had a low impact in the EU economy, and therefore an economic argument holds no ground. There is no way the EC can ignore such clear calls, now it’s the time to turn them into action and include the bans in the new Kept Animals Regulation.
Reineke Hameleers, CEO, Eurogroup for Animals
Regards Mark
Import and production of horsemeat under cruel conditions must stop
AWF
Investigation
The latest investigations by the Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF), Animals’ Angels USA and Tierschutzbund Zürich (TSB) reveal the mistreatment of horses slaughtered in Canada and Uruguay for European consumption. Thanks to these investigations, and in collaboration with a coalition of animal protection organisations, we are calling for an end to the import and production of horsemeat derived from cruel treatment.
Horsemeat from Canada
Half of the horses slaughtered in Canada come from the United States. EU meat export rules require American horses to be kept in feedlots for six months before slaughter to gain weight. This results in numerous health problems (painful hooves, metabolic diseases, ect.).
“In the course of our on-site investigations we found on several occasions that horses were limping, suffering from laminitis and had died as a result of their illnesses or injuries,” explains Sabrina Gurtner, project manager at AWF. Mares and stallions are mixed. They also take in pregnant animals. “The chances of foals surviving in the feedlots are slim. We have found foals that were sick in summer and froze to death at birth in winter,” recalls Sabrina Gurtner.
Horsemeat from Uruguay
In a recent two-year investigation by AWF and TSB, conducted in parallel with a pre-announced EU inspection, all three EU-certified slaughterhouses in the country were subject to overt and covert observations before, during and after the EU visit. “Our research shows that the EU audits are manipulated through extensive preparations,” reports Sabrina Gurtner.
What is particularly striking is that only a fraction of the horses are in the slaughterhouse pastures during the audits. “They’re placed in green pastures, sheltered from the weather. But that’s not the reality before and after the inspection visits. Once the inspectors have left, the horses are sent back to dusty, dirty fields, often without roughage and sometimes even without water.” Workers were also observed, beating the horses when the audit was over.
Problem: traceability and food safety
Together with AWF and the other members of the coalition, we condemn the inadequate traceability of horses in meat production abroad. There is no identification system for horses. The last owner, usually the horse dealer, provides information on the medication and origin of the horses he sells to slaughterhouses. “People rely on the honesty of the sellers. This paves the way for systematic fraud and puts EU consumers at risk,” criticises Sabrina Gurtner.
These investigations clearly demonstrate that animal welfare and traceability issues remain unresolved for the import of horsemeat from Uruguay and Canada. We therefore call on the European Commission to stop imports of horsemeat from these countries, as well as from all countries that do not comply with EU requirements.
Sign the petition – Demand an import suspension of cruelly produced horsemeat from overseas!
From stable to fork: EU Horse Meat Imports (updated version)
Regards Mark
Huge win! Denmark agrees to phase out fast-growing broiler chickens
The Danish government and key Danish political parties have agreed to phase out the state procurement of fast-growing chickens, and vowed to back a ban on the farming of fast-growing broilers at EU level.
This landmark move will significantly improve the welfare of the nation’s broiler chickens. Fast-growing broilers cannot live a good life, as due to their fast-growing nature, they suffer from a range of problems from the moment they are born – from injuries to lameness and heart issues. For this reason, animal protection NGOs across Europe have been campaigning for years to outlaw fast-growing broiler breeds in the EU’s animal welfare legislation.
Denmark proved to be on the forefront of the fight for better animal protection last week when a new political agreement was announced, with four key points to:
- Establish a working group shedding light on animal welfare challenges in relation to the production of broiler chickens in Denmark
- Phase out the production of fast-growing broilers at EU level
- Campaign under the auspices of the State Animal Welfare Label with effect from 2023. The campaign must contribute to promoting demand for slow-growing broilers
- Phase out the Danish government’s procurement of fast-growing broilers.
The working group will prepare a report on the animal welfare standards in Danish broiler production, including the conditions for parent animals. The working group’s report is part of the overall effort to phase-out the production of fast-growing broilers.
It’s particularly notable that the Danish government openly declared their support for a ban at EU level and are actively engaged in achieving it, in recognition of the overwhelming majority of EU citizens who wish animals were better protected in the EU.
The initiative to take decisive action on broiler welfare is part of a larger animal welfare package that will be announced before summer this year, according to the Danish Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Jacob Jensen.
We welcome this initiative together with our Danish member, Dyrenes Beskyttelse, who has been working towards achieving a ban on fast-growing broiler chickens in Denmark for years (press release available here). This move from Denmark proves a strong commitment to animal welfare from Member States, and strengthens the case for ambitious revised animal welfare legislation.
Broiler chickens have – deservedly – been taking the spotlight recently, with Animal Equality securing a vote from the PETI Committee last month to keep a petition on outlawing fast-growing broiler chickens open. Read more here.
Regards Mark
Broiler chickens: why are these innocent beings suffering by the billions?
It’s a difficult life for broiler chickens in Europe’s farming systems. Not only are these poor birds reared to grow incredibly fast – so they’re ready for slaughter after just six weeks of life – but they’re subjected to painful stunning practices, arduous journeys and awful habitats, too. As one of the most widely farmed and consumed species in Europe, it’s critical the Commission takes their welfare seriously in their ongoing revision to the animal welfare legislation. Billions of lives hang in the balance.
Broiler chickens are incredible animals. They’re clever, have amazing memories, and can form close bonds with their peers. But to see the way they are farmed across Europe, you’d think they were little more than robots – crammed into dark rooms with nothing to do, no room to move, and raised to be slaughtered in just a six-week timeframe.
It’s a shocking lifestyle to imagine… and an even more shocking one to watch up-close.
What are some of the key issues broiler chickens face in Europe’s farming systems?
The stats listed below are from our 2021 No Animal Left Behind report.
Around 90% of the EU’s farmed broiler chickens are raised in intensive systems, which are riddled with problems. Here are just a few of the most concerning issues for this species in the sector.
Broiler chickens are being bred to grow too quickly
95% of the broiler chickens currently being reared on factory farms are ‘fast-growing’ breeds, which means they’re bred to grow very quickly and reach slaughter weight in just five to six weeks.
These poor beings cannot live a good life. Due to their fast-growing nature, they’re in constant discomfort, and commonly suffer from problems such as lameness, heart failure, metabolic disorders, and heat stress. These health problems are a direct result of their genetics, which means the only solution is to phase out the farming of fast-growing broiler chicken breeds entirely.
Broiler chickens are rarely given adequate space or access to the outdoors
Most broiler chickens live in horrible confinement. Thousands of birds are routinely crammed into the same small, dark spaces in factory farms, with the European Commission currently allowing stocking densities for up to 42 kg/m2 in its legislation.
The findings of the EFSA scientific opinion on broiler welfare point to the fact that stocking densities over 11 kg/m2 creates significant welfare problems for broiler chickens, with common issues including they’re more likely to contract footpad dermatitis, will have more difficulties with walking, and struggle to express their natural behaviours. Furthermore, high stocking densities cause chickens to suffer from overheating, as well as subject them to unhygienic conditions that are a threat to their health (as they’re surrounded by a much higher volume of litter than if they lived in smaller groups).
The needs and natures of broiler chickens are being ignored
Broiler chickens are feeling, curious and engaged creatures with a range of physical and emotional needs – just like any other sentient being.
However, these needs are far from being met across European factory farms. Billions of broiler chickens live indoors without any form of entertainment (such as perches or straw bales), and with no room to exercise, play or socialise naturally. Because of this, they have almost no opportunities to have positive experiences in their lifetimes.
Broiler chickens are being transported alive by the billions
Did you know that poultry makes up over 90% of live animal transports each year?
Many are broiler chickens, as they are frequently transported across Europe to reach slaughterhouses. Despite the huge number of them being forced to undergo long and arduous journeys annually, poultry is rarely considered in conversations about live animal transport, meaning these birds are suffering in silence.
Broiler chickens are being slaughtered in horrific ways
Industrially farmed broiler chickens are not granted the dignity of a pain-free death. Countless of them are subjected to a cruel and ineffective form of ‘waterbath stunning’ before they are sent to slaughter, where they often killed by having their throats cut – some while still fully conscious:
Clearly, the welfare laws for broiler chickens need to be heavily updated
Broiler chickens are farmed at a gigantic scale across Europe – yet as the above points show, the conditions in which they’re reared are far from acceptable. It’s absolutely critical that the European Commission focuses on this neglected species, and writes strong and robust laws for their welfare as they continue with their revision of the animal welfare legislation.
Emphasising the critical nature of the changes needed, our members have been campaigning for better lives for broiler chickens for years. Over in Sweden in 2022, Djurens Rätt launched an incredibly popular campaign exploring the issues these birds commonly experience:
This campaign won our award for ‘Best Campaign’ at the Eurogroup for Animals Annual General Meeting this year.
Members including Equalia, LAV and Essere Animali have also published several investigations that shine a light on the horrors industrially farmed broiler chickens are exposed to, sparking outrage and signalling a clear need to adapt the Commission’s laws for their welfare – and enforce them across the EU.
Their voices have been impactful. We’re now beginning to see changes made and interest in the subject politically: at a PETI Committee last month, for example, Animal Equality managed to keep the petition to outlaw fast-growing broiler breeds open. More recently – just last week – the Danish government agreed to phase out the state procurement of fast-growing broiler chickens, and to back a ban at EU level. Over in Sweden this year, the Swedish National Agency for Public Procurement included standards for higher welfare chicken breeds in line with European Chicken Commitment.
This is amazing progress for broiler chickens, but to change their lives at the kind of scale needed across the entirety of Europe, the European Commission must create standards for their welfare that all Member States must follow.
The European Commission must write species-specific legislation for broiler chickens! Do you agree?
Some of the most important changes they should make to the welfare laws for broiler chickens are:
Banning fast-growing broiler breeds
Banning ‘waterbath stunning’
Limiting stocking densities in farming systems following EFSA recommendations
Ensuring they have access to enrichment materials and the outdoors, so they can lead fulfilling lives
Putting measures in place to make sure all welfare laws for broiler chickens are sufficiently enforced across Europe.
It’s time to ring in a brighter era for broiler chickens in the EU and beyond. Are you with us?
We’re working to ensure all kept species are considered by the European Commission in their update to the animal welfare laws! Learn more here.
Regards Mark
Breaking – Three UK supermarkets sell antibiotic dosed chickens linked to deadly superbug outbreak
Three UK supermarkets sell antibiotic dosed chickens linked to deadly superbug outbreak | ITV News
Three of the UK’s biggest supermarkets are sourcing chickens dosed with antibiotics by a poultry producer in Poland linked to the spread of deadly superbugs.
An investigation by ITV News, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, and The Guardian has discovered Asda, Iceland and Lidl are buying frozen chicken products from SuperDrob – a major European meat supplier – who we’ve discovered was the source of an outbreak of antibiotic resistant Salmonella in the UK and Europe in 2020, which killed five people and infected around 1,300 others.
A letter obtained via Freedom of Information request from the UK’s Chief Veterinary Office Christine Middlemiss to her Polish counterpart in December 2020 stated her investigations “have now firmly linked the outbreaks with frozen, raw breaded chicken products imported from Poland, and to a specific poultry production company in Poland”. SuperDrob is then named in the letter as the company.
Two and half years on, we carried out tests of waste samples collected from different poultry farms in different locations in Poland which produce chickens for SuperDrob, to see if antibiotics are being given to the chickens. The results indicated they are.
The samples tested positive for bacteria – including E. Coli, a source of food poisoning in humans – resistant to fluoroquinolones, the same group of antibiotics used in humans to treat life threatening infections.
The tests were carried out at the University of Oxford by Professor of Medical Microbiology, Tim Walsh and his team. He told ITV News it is “extremely concerning” that the same antibiotics used to treat sickness in human beings are still being used in animals.
“There is a direct link between the use of antibiotics in farms and the resistance that occurs, and then what happens in the human population,” he said.
“We found enrofloxacin resistance, which would then give resistance to a drug that is a very similar drug we use in humans called ciprofloxacin. So, the use of enrofloxacin on the farms would actually mediate resistance to a human antibiotic, which is really important.
“We know that this shouldn’t be happening but regrettably it seems to continue.”
The samples also tested positive for colistin; an antibiotic of last resort used to treat very serious infections in humans.
“Colistin should be banned for use in animals per se,” argues Professor Walsh.
He likened the rise of antibiotic resistance to the whole human race “staring down the barrel of a gun”, or “a slow tsunami coming towards us.”
The World Health Organisation has declared antimicrobial resistance a top global public health threat, directly killing more than 1.2 million people and associated with five million deaths in 2019.
The United Nations estimates up to ten million deaths could be caused by superbugs and associated forms of antimicrobial resistance by 2050, matching the annual global death toll of cancer.
As a result, the use of antibiotics in farming is subject to strict rules.
Last year the European Union banned the excessive and routine use of antibiotics in farm animals as compensation for unhygienic cramped conditions where diseases like salmonella and E. coli can easily spread, often on factory farms.
The new regulations mean that only sick, individual animals may be administered antibiotics.
SuperDrob told us antibiotics are used in their chickens, and the company does not deny using the same groups of antibiotics used to treat human infection.
A spokesperson said: “SuperDrob has imposed a reduction policy of a minimum of 10% year-on-year, with a view to phasing out the use of enrofloxacin and colistin in poultry treatment by the end of 2025. This policy was initiated in 2020 and SuperDrob has achieved at least the minimum reduction each year.
“Antibiotics are only used in SuperDrob’s farms or in the farms of its suppliers when (1) recommended by a veterinarian, and (2) justified by presence of a disease and where administration of antibiotics would achieve therapeutic success. The whole treatment process is recommended, supervised, and coordinated by the Government veterinarian based on knowledge, case analysis, results of testing.”
SuperDrob declined to comment on the salmonella outbreak in 2020.
Wow, what a surprise (I dont think)– Mark
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Thanks as always to Stacey at ‘Our Compass’ – Our Compass | Because justice directs us … (our-compass.org) – Mark
It’s much more difficult to BE harmed than to NOT harm …
JUNE 19, 2023
The “veganism is hard” is a myth started by the anag (animal agriculture) industry to continue indoctrinating a willfully ignorant billions-large population of humans who choose to participate in incalculable animal suffering. The “intellectually superior” humans desperately want to believe that violently using, commodifying, and killing animals is “humane” or “ethical” or based on “welfare” when there is nothing more humane, ethical, and true to welfare, than NOT exploiting animals. (And the same “intellectually superior” humans are unable to tell the difference between plant-based milk and milk stolen from suffering animals … )
Facts, not myths:
You cause animal suffering that you can EASILY not.
Harming animals does not benefit animals.
The actual definition of “humane slaughter” includes minimizing “unnecessary pain”, which basically establishes that “necessary pain” is inherent.
I’m still waiting for someone to share their “humane slaughter” footage that demonstrates animals willingly and peacefully being violently killed.
… and if you need to trivialize the exploitation of animals, exploitation that is ALL inherently abusive, as “humane/ethical/harvest/process/welfare/regenerative/etcetcetc”, you are euphemizing for YOUR comfort, not animals’ comfort: animals don’t benefit from human words that still require their suffering and violent death.
For those who experience great angst thinking about pigs becoming extinct, you don’t kill animals to prevent animals from being killed, and do remember how many species are extinct due to your animal consumption addiction as well as how many native animals are killed to “protect” the animals YOU then consume.
No human gets sick from NOT abusing animals.
God did not give animals the capacity to suffer, experience pain and terror, and the desire to NOT want to die and then will humans to cause such, but God DID give humans plants to eat in Genesis 1:29, so why blame God for your faults? Why do so many “christians” choose to believe in an evil and malevolent god that demands the violent butchering of trillions of animals EACH YEAR?
If you think it’s ok to abuse animals because some humans have abortions, you’re neither concerned with animals NOR humans beyond the fetal stage.
Lions, and other predators, exist in a state of survival with no other choices. Humans do not and have. (And interestingly, the females – lionesses – do most the hunting, not the males.)
Cow abusers are always so quick to say that cows are happy to be milked (versus the need for relief, fear of punishment, or habit) but who experience zero emotion when being violated and killed.
My plant-based food does not require any disingenuous “humane” labels because plants are incapable of suffering.
Nobody grows crops JUST for vegans; animal consumers eat crops as do their animal victims.
Vegans minimize harm inflicted on animals. Animals are not required to die for crop harvesting. In a “vegan world”, crop casualties would diminish or be eliminated altogether.
84% of people were predominantly OMNIVORES; of the TOTAL 1313 participants, only 183 consumed a plant-based diet (for a study of “dietary habits” and NOT veganism) and the rest were vegetarians, ie., omnivores. In other words, 84% of mostly omnivore people on a diet, went off a diet.
But it’s vomitous that non/antivegans experience joy and fulfillment in what they believe to be maximum animal suffering.
Antivegans (subhumans who focus on and condemn vegans and NOT animal abuse), including carnivores and fake doctors, all of whom deceive and manipulate and that desperately need to co-opt “vegan”, are motivated by hatred, insecurity, and self-doubt because nobody is forcing you to NOT abuse animals.
The belief that you can abuse and kill animals is “privileged”.
But yeah: minimizing harm > causing harm.
It’s sad I have to point that out.
The actual data to support the facts:
One of These Things Is Not Like the Other
DEBUNKED: Do vegans kill more animals through crop deaths?
SL
Download Your FREE Vegan PDF HERE
Order a FREE vegan kit HERE
Dairy-Free Info HERE
Take the Dairy-Free Challenge HERE
Click HERE for more Dairy-Free
Fish alternatives can be found HERE
Learn about eggs HERE
Find bacon alternatives HERE and HERE
Take PETA’s Cruelty-Free Shopping Guide along with you next time you head to the store! The handy guide will help you find humane products at a glance. Order a FREE copy HERE
Searching for Cruelty-Free Cosmetics, Personal-Care Products, Vegan Products, or more?
Click HERE to search.
Free PDF of Vegan & Cruelty-Free Products/Companies HERE
Click HERE for clothing without suffering
Click below for nominal, or no, fees to vegan literature that you can use to convince others that veganism is the only humane:
PETA HERE
Vegan Outreach HERE
Get your FREE Anti-Speciesism Activist Kit from PETA HERE
Click HERE for Well-Fed World’s Free Climate Food Guide PDF
Regards Mark
A terrible start of cruelty for dogs and cats – the Yulin ‘festival’ starts today.
Check out our past data – Search Results for “yulin” – World Animals Voice
Info is very hit and miss at the present time – I will attempt to update as more gets known.
Regards Mark
Photo – Mark
I think that any of us in welfare who have been involved with live animal transport over one, two, or (in my case) around 40 years, we all know what a complete and utter farce the Regulation is for the ‘protection of animals during transport’ – Reg 1/2005 – EUR-Lex – 32005R0001 – EN – EUR-Lex (europa.eu) We know it well as part of our work, and yet despite overwhelming evidence and footage over decades showing endless suffering of animals during transport, and the non compliances with the EU legislation, the people in the EU who could change things just ignore and turn the other way.
The footage you see here from our friends at AWF is yet more examples of the EU gone wrong.
It has been time for change for decades; but now the EU Commission hopefully is really in last chance saloon. It happens all over the world, not just in Europe. The sooner we see legislators get off their butts and do something to actually protect animals in transport, is a day that cannot come soon enough. Until the ban the fight goes on; and the evidence continues to pile.
Mark
Photo – Mark
The Animal Welfare Foundation, released three reports on June 16 highlighting some of the horrific realities of the live animal transport industry. Coupled with their recent investigations into the sector, it’s clear change must happen – and that only the European Commission can bring on the scale of action needed.
The first report is concerned with which factors – including bedding, loading density, and distance – have the strongest impacts on the welfare of cattle during transport. It analyses 112 consignments of cattle on trucks that were inspected over a period of five years, between 2016 and 2021. Ultimately, their findings indicate that insufficient welfare provisions overwhelmingly impact an animal’s physical and emotional health, and can even shorten their lifespans.
The second report focuses on the long distance transport of lambs between the same time period. The findings are shocking – AWF records that out of the consignments they investigated:
100% had inadequate drinking devices for lambs
90% provided insufficient space for the lambs to move – in at least 44% of the vehicles, the space for each individual animal came only to 0.18m2
65% had issues that were likely to lead to injuries, such as sharp edges and loose dividers
At least 35% of the vehicles had been travelling for longer than permitted by law.
The third and final report follows a similar theme, and reports on the transport of unweaned calves between 2015 – 2021. As with lambs, it was found that the care these poor calves received was far from satisfactory, as in the consignments they investigated:
100% had inadequate drinking devices for unweaned calves
In at least 73%, animals were not fed after nine hours
At least 47% of the vehicles had been travelling for longer than permitted by law.
In both the second and third reports, AWF noted that well over half the animals being transported were showing acute signs of distress, including restlessness, biting and licking the metal bars they were trapped behind, and making loud noises.
Their insightful work makes the connection clearer than ever. The millions of sentient beings that are subjected to long journeys each year are not only being badly taken care of, but they are sensitive to the conditions in which they are transported as well. Measures must be taken to ensure these sentient beings are given adequate space to move, access to clean water, good nutrition and a comfortable environment to make these journeys as stress-free as possible.
Recent investigations by the Animal Welfare Foundation also stress the urgency of new live animal transport rules
Earlier this year, the Animal Welfare Foundation released heartbreaking footage of the journey of some young calves, which they followed from the Czech Republic to a fattening farm in Spain.
Their footage shows that these poor infants were starved for hours, and one calf in particular, which they named Marek, was not even able to get a quick drink of water.
Also this year, AWF’s investigative team intercepted trucks carrying lambs to Italy for Easter – resulting in over 20,000 EUR worth of fines for transport companies which were caught violating the EU’s transport legislation:
All the evidence points to a critical need for the European Commission to take action
AWF’s illuminating work complements a range of scientific evidence published by the likes of EFSA and the European Court of Auditors already that points to the necessity of better animal welfare provisions being made for animals that are transported.
The European Commission must use this wealth of information and data to make dramatic changes to this industry that causes so much suffering to millions of sentient beings each year. In particular, they must:
Ban ‘unfit animals’ from being transported, including unweaned animals and very young babies, like the lambs and calves recorded by AWF, for whom these journeys are even more difficult to bear
Place strict limitations on journey distances
Enforce any new animal welfare legislation written for live transport more effectively, to guarantee these stricter regulations are being followed.
It’s time for the welfare needs of transported animals to be honoured as seriously as they deserve.
We’re putting the spotlight on animal welfare this year through phase two of our No Animal Left Behind campaign! Learn more.
Regards Mark
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
World Animals Voice 