The first meeting of the animal welfare platform will take place in Brussels on 6 June, with the second scheduled in November of this year, European Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis said in Brussels on Monday 6 March.
Addressing the Agriculture Council, the commissioner said that the platform would have two major priority areas: - developing voluntary commitments by businesses; - promoting the EU’s high standards. The platform will have 75 members. Meetings are to be held at least twice per year in Commission premises.
At its first meeting, the platform will adopt its rules of procedure by simple majority. The Commission will present its work priorities on animal welfare with a view to determining the contribution that can be made to them by the members of the platform and how the platform may complement the Commission’s activities in this area, the Commission says in a note to the Council. The Commission has confirmed that it wants to focus its efforts on better application of Community legislation, the promotion of EU standards internationally and developing the market value of animal welfare both within and outside the EU. The Commission will call on the members of the platform to discuss, share their experience of and identify issues and ways that will make it possible to achieve measurable and realistic goals. Depending on the degree of agreement reached among the members, the Commission will define the platform’s work programme. In addition, the Commission will, where necessary, set up sub-groups to examine specific issues on the basis of mandates defined by the Commission.
Eight agriculture ministers spoke after the presentation by Commissioner Andriukaitis. Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and the United Kingdom gave their support to the work of this body. Denmark highlighted of the issue of the trafficking of dogs. UK Minister of State George Eustice underlined the importance of animal welfare in trade agreements with third countries and in considerations on the future of the common agricultural policy.
Lumpy skin disease. Numerous agriculture ministers (including those of Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Denmark, Lithuania and France) backed Croatia’s calls for: - Community compensation for losses resulting from measures to tackle this disease; - amendment for the year 2018 of decision 2016/2008 (animal health control measures relating to lumpy skin disease in certain member states) to include an “exit strategy” that will allow the movement of vaccinated animals within the EU when vaccination is no longer carried out. Italy had some doubts about the arrangements proposed by Croatia with regard to the movement of vaccinated animals. The Commission said that, next month, the legislation on the measures to tackle this illness will be revised in light of new scientific advice. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)