The European Parliament’s agriculture committee called on the Commission on Wednesday 25 January to draft “a road map towards financially sustainable minimum standards” for the protection of rabbits farmed and slaughtered for meat production in the EU.
The MEPs on the committee adopted numerous compromise amendments somewhat lowering the initial level of ambition of the initiative report by Stefan Eck (GUE/NGL, Germany). Eck was rather critical of the farming methods and called for minimum standards to be put in place forthwith to protect rabbits (see EUROPE 11619).
The members of the committee tempered the ambition of the draft report. They want the roadmap to include: - a list of good practice establishing animal welfare rules for rabbits; - a Commission recommendation that takes into consideration existing national measures and contains, where appropriate, proposals for a common EU approach in particular with regard to rabbit health, welfare and housing.
Reared in a barren environment. The committee noted that rabbits in the EU are usually reared in conventional, unenriched cages, a barren environment fitted only with a drinker and feeder. Furthermore, rabbits are sometimes exclusively fed on pellets without access to fibrous material and the close confines of the barren wire cages “can lead to abnormal behaviour” (obsessive cleaning and compulsively gnawing on the bars of the cage). MEPs note the further scientific research is needed into housing systems which could promote health quality and limit the risk that animals may become diseased or infected.
Free-range park farming. The committee acknowledges that alternatives to cage farming of rabbits are being successfully implemented in some EU countries, such as park farming or hutch systems, with grass as the main feed, which improve the comfort and welfare of farmed rabbits.
The MEPs stress that rabbits should be fully stunned before slaughter, ensuring that they undergo no suffering, pain or stress. They say that the development of practical research into stunning techniques used on other species would make it possible to establish electric or other stunning methods, such as stunning with a mixture of gases, appropriate to the specific characteristics of rabbits.
Toothless tiger. Frustrated at the number of compromise amendments passed, the rapporteur regretted that the agriculture committee had produced a “toothless tiger”, which will do nothing to help the rabbits which have to suffer. The “fight” is not over, however, as Eck intends to lodge amendments when the report is put to the plenary session. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)