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As millions of citizens are waiting for the European Commission to deliver the proposals to revise the outdated EU animal welfare legislation, the EU seems to prioritise trade negotiations that are increasingly in a deadlock.

The current EU animal welfare legislation is obsolete and urgently needs to be reviewed, to take into account the latest scientific findings.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.

It is now time to deliver.

Stop cruel imports! Applying EU animal welfare standards to all products placed on the EU market | Eurogroup for Animals

25 September 2023

Policy Briefing

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.

Regards Mark

Founder – WAV and SAV – https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/

Banksy is an English artist who’s true, real identity is unknown to most.

He is a British icon.

He produces amazing artworks, often on buildings, garages, anything anywhere type attitude; and these artworks ‘just appear’ anywhere overnight for people to enjoy.

Here in New York he does his bit for live animal transport; the ‘Sirens of the lambs’.

This is very typical Banksy:

Going, going, gone:

Behold Dismaland: Inside Banksy’s Disneyland-Inspired Theme Park | Mashable News

Banksy has been secretly assembling his own Disneyland-inspired creation in this West Country seaside town, and it’s not exactly the happiest place on Earth. Dismaland, which opens to the public Saturday and sits on the 2.5 acre site of the Tropicana lido, is the shadowy artist’s first “bemusement park,” and it’s packed full of subversive artworks.

Enjoy !

Regards Mark

The following are typical Banksy artworks:

Re https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2023/07/16/ireland-milking-it-utterly-unacceptable-and-unlawful-irelands-mistreatment-of-male-calves/

Back in 2010 I was the EU correspondent for a Kent based anti live animal export group, named KAALE; At that time I worked with Lesley, founder of ‘Eyes on Animals’ (Netherlands) – Eyes on Animals – Watching out for their Welfare, also PMAF (now Welfarm) in France  Welfarm – World Farm Animal Protection – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, also Animals Angels (Germany)  Stop Animal Transports! – ANIMALS‘ ANGELS (animals-angels.de) to produce a large report on the transportation of live dairy calves from Ireland into France (via Cherbourg).

You can read more about the report and the investigations at  About Us. | Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

Scroll down until you come across the images of the calves and the transporters.

The report comprised several investigations into the Irish calf export business.  Here is a link to one of the investigation reports:

Microsoft Word – JH.04.03.2010_REPORT on NON-COMPLIANCE with RESTING TIMES in relation to CONTROL POST at F-HEAUVILLE.doc (wordpress.com)

Hundreds of copies of the report were printed and sent to MEP’s at he EU, with the hope it would make difference.

So for some of us, and you as campaigners, the new investigation footage shown at Ireland: Milking It – “Utterly unacceptable and unlawful”: Ireland’s mistreatment of male calves. – World Animals Voice  comes as no surprise at all.  The investigative work back in 2010 concentrated on a staging (control) post (stop, unload, feed calves) associated with an operator named Pignet. 

By pure coincidence, Lesley has additional Pignet control post abuse footage in the current EoA site – you can read more about it here – Violence against young calves at Pignet control post (eyesonanimals.com)

The fight for animal justice goes on – stop live animal transports !

Regards Mark

“Utterly unacceptable and unlawful”: Ireland’s mistreatment of male calves

14 July 2023

EFI

Investigation

A new documentary by Ireland’s RTÉ Investigates programme, ‘Milking It; Dairy’s Dirty Secret’ has exposed animal welfare breaches of male calves in Ireland, both on-farm and during live export to Europe.

Irish milk production has jumped 68% since the EU milk quota system was abolished in 2015. Ireland now produces just short of 9 billion litres of milk every year and 10% of the world’s infant formula. To meet this demand, approximately 1.5 million dairy calves are born in Ireland every year. While female calves are reared to become dairy cows, over half a million male calves born each year are considered a valueless by-product of the sector, as they neither produce milk nor fatten well for beef. Male calves therefore face a difficult fate: either killed at a few days old, or shipped to veal farms in Holland, Spain, Italy, and, more recently, to a growing market in Poland and Romania. 

The RTÉ documentary included investigation footage carried out by L214 and Eyes on Animals, assisted by our member organisation Ethical Farming Ireland, which covered the journey of calves transported from Ireland to France and the Netherlands.

Despite scientific evidence suggesting that these animals should not travel until 12 weeks old due to their undeveloped immune systems and incapacity to correctly use feeding devices, the industry continues to ignore this recommendation, and calves are exported at around 15 days old. Also, The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommends a minimum age of 5 weeks for transport, emphasising the vulnerability of these animals during their early stages of life.

Furthermore, EU regulations clearly state that unweaned calves must be given water and, if necessary, fed after 9 hours of transport, when they should receive a rest period of at least 1 hour before being transported again. However, footage reveals that the calves are subjected to 30-hour journeys without milk or rest: a flagrant violation of EU law, and a general disregard for animal welfare.

Further footage taken by RTÉ told the same story of gruelling journeys for young calves that breach the EU Regulation on the transport of live animals. In addition, workers could be seen repeatedly kicking young calves, hitting them with sticks, and throwing them from trailers. . 

The documentary has caused political outcry, with the Irish Department of Agriculture confirming an investigation into the programme findings. Irish Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue called the practices uncovered in the documentary “utterly unacceptable, and in some instances unlawful”.

Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar described the footage as “repugnant”. Mr Varadkar said there would be “robust and timely” action against people found to have breached regulations in the footage, and that the reputation of the sector relied on compliance with the regulations in place.

The documentary proves once again that the existing animal welfare legislation does not go far enough to protect EU farmed animals at rearing, transport or slaughter. The European Commission has the power to improve the transport regulation this year, with the revision of the EU Animal Welfare legislation. In particular, they must:

Ban ‘unfit animals’ from being transported, including unweaned animals, for whom these journeys are even more difficult to bear

Place strict limitations on journey times

Ensure that the new rules are better enforced

Let’s be clear, there is no way to export calves humanely or in line with legislation because it is not possible to feed calves during transit. That is the simple truth. The dairy industry must find an alternative outlet for their calves, and keep them with the herd until weaned. If you don’t have the facilities to look after them then don’t breed them in the first place.

Caroline Rowley, Founder of Ethical Farming Ireland

Indeed, and as recommended during the documentary, the culling and mistreatment of “valueless” male calves should be avoided, which is currently possible by using sexed semen. The transport of farmed animals should be reduced, refined and replaced by meat and carcasses, semen and embryos as recommended by the FVE, WOAH and EFSA.

Read more at source

RTÉ Investigates

Regard Mark

I have more to say about Irish calf transport investigations which we have undertaken in the past; I will provide details and links in another post very soon.

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)

BROWSE TO THIS PUBLICATION

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