Advancing animal welfare in the EU

The ideal mission letter for the new commissioner for health and animal welfare and the role of the European Parliament.

At the start of a new political term, it is natural to reflect upon the progress we made, the small and big victories we obtained, but also on the missed opportunities, what could have been done and wasn’t, and where we could have had more impact on animals’ lives. Looking back at the past five years, we cannot but feel proud of all our movement has achieved to inform public opinion, stimulate policy-makers, and ultimately keep alive a science- and evidence-based debate on the animal condition.

We went through a pandemic and an economic slump, and we still have wars at our doorstep amidst increasing social unrest. And yet, despite all this, the last special Eurobarometer,  three successful European Citizens Initiatives on animal welfare and the engagement in our Vote for Animals European election campaign, all confirm that the support of Europeans for the animal cause has never been stronger.  

The positive news is that, after years of campaigning, we now have a European commissioner for health and animal welfare. This sends a clear political signal and represents a concrete commitment to dedicating resources to the animal condition in the EU. At the same time, much will depend on the mandate, the resources and support the new commissioner will have at his disposal. In a letter we addressed to President von der Leyen, we expressed our concern that only one item out of 14 that she specified in the mission letter to the new Commissioner is connected to the welfare of animals. This is insufficient considering all the legislative changes needed to improve the animal condition in this political term. Let us not forget that, of all that was promised in the EU Farm to Fork Strategy, only two legislative proposals are still standing, one on the welfare of cats and dogs, and another revising the Regulation on live animal transport.  

However, there is much more to do and we firmly believe that the mission of the commissioner for animal welfare should address many urgent issues that have been neglected for far too long. Firstly, we fully expect this Commissioner to deliver on the revision of the entire animal welfare acquis based on the Five Domains model and the most recent EFSA opinions, including a complete reform of slaughter and transport practices. Caged farming and fur farming should be banned in line with the demands of European citizens. As part of this, we need to see stronger protection for aquatic animals, with strict standards for farming, transport, and slaughter, a moratorium on the expansion of salmon farming, and a ban on octopus farming. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) should become pivotal in supporting the transition towards sustainable food production with high animal welfare at its heart. 

The Commissioner for Animal Welfare should protect all animals. We need to create a safer future for Europe’s companion animals with improved legislation on breeding, stricter controls on sales and transport, better protection for equines, and an EU-wide Positive List for exotic species. We must replace, reduce, and make animal experimentation redundant, by introducing clear reduction targets, ensuring adequate funding for research and innovation in alternative methods and training of young researchers in the use of non-animal models. Ultimately, this should lead to a revision of the current legislation. 

Far from the public eye, trillions of sentient beings are still suffering in ways that are difficult to describe, in windowless sheds, barren tanks, on trucks, and inside slaughterhouses across the EU. This suffering not only continues unabated, but it is soaring. 

We firmly believe that the current animal welfare crisis - with the devastating consequences it has on the environment, animal and human health - is a gaping, bleeding wound that cannot be cured with patches such as precision livestock farming, gene editing, or rearing different species. We need to put into question our system of beliefs on the treatment of animals and reassess our relationship with them before we reach the point of no return. We are hopeful that this political term can mark the beginning of such an in-depth reflection. Every step toward humane treatment is a step toward a brighter future for animals and humans alike.

We now have another opportunity to call on the commission to change the mission letter to truly address the animal cause: thanks to the new president of the intergroup of animal welfare and conservation, Niels Fuglsang (S&D, Denmark), we are organising an exposition at the European Parliament, and we would like to welcome you all to the vernissage on 5 November at 12:30. More information here.