European Commission with its back to the wall on the review of EU animal welfare rules

From the correspondent in Strasbourg – The revision of EU animal welfare legislation has been waiting four years for a proposal from the European Commission, and it is already behind schedule compared to the end-of-2023 deadline that the von der Leyen cabinet had set for itself. That is why, when the legislature is now on its last legs, MEPs are issuing a final warning to the EU executive to keep its promises: “While we wait, animals suffer. We are talking about 300 million animals living most of their lives in small cages. We cannot look at ourselves in the mirror serenely thinking about how we produce meat,” the author of the EU Parliament’s oral question on the revision of EU animal welfare legislation, Niels Fuglsang (S&D), said in his speech in the plenary session this morning (March 14).

Following the light package on transportation, furs, and custody conditions last December, the heart of the issue is using cages on farms. “In 2021, we announced that we will consider rules for a possible ban on cages in animal farming,” said Commissioner for Cohesion and Reform Elisa Ferreira, speaking at the Plenary in response to the End the Cage Age initiative signed by nearly 1.4 million citizens of the 27 member countries. “We have started a full assessment on the economic and social impacts, but it is still in progress,” the commissioner explained, stressing that “we are assessing important aspects for the transition to cage-free farming to be sustainable for the agri-food sector and for the proposal to be sound.”

But MEPs are less and less willing to accept further delays, as the author of the question made clear: “We understand that the proposal is there. It must be put on the table now. If it does not arrive, we will ask for a roadmap.” Words shared by the Democratic Party’s head of delegation to the EU Parliament, Brando Benifei: “We are asking for a clear plan, with precise timeframes,” with a proposal for “an animal welfare commissioner after the next European elections” in June. “We are in favor of an end to the use of cages for breeding, but only when this also applies to animals imported from non-EU countries,” MEP Herbert Dorfmann (Südtiroler Volkspartei) from the ranks of the European People’s Party underlined.

“The Commission has inescapable commitments in updating the regulatory framework on the subject,”  MEP Laura Ferrara (5 Star Movement) said. “It must provide support and financing tools for European companies that respect animal welfare, protecting them from imports that can lead to unfair competition.” Her words were echoed by her party colleague Maria Angela Danzì, who said: “Behind the great promises of legislation to defend animal welfare, we have given birth to a mouse. This betrays everyone’s expectations.” But Commissioner Ferreira recalls that “work is still ongoing” on other dossiers, such as “European rules to harmonize slaughtering and European labeling.” After the farmers’ protests of the last few months, “the right place for this discussion is the dialogue on the future of the CAP,” since the sector “is not satisfied with the application of animal welfare rules because requirements are constantly changing, this is the opportunity to provide stability and clarity,” according to the EU Commission.

However, it is clear that “reforming this sector has costs. We have to take them into account,” Commissioner Ferreira said,  justifying the delays in the impact assessment. “Reducing the fragmentation of the Internal Market can encourage farm investments, which will go hand in hand with animal welfare,” she said. While agreeing with the need for “strict controls in livestock farms and international trade, to avert abuse and mistreatment,”  MEP Rosanna Conte of the League denounced “the risk of falling into the error of demonizing an entire sector for the non-compliance of a few, without forgetting that the vast majority works with dedication,” referring to the European right’s seasoned rhetoric on “ideological measures that risk bringing entire farms to their knees without bringing real benefits for animal welfare.”