On Monday 26 April, EU Agriculture Ministers backed a review of legislation on animal welfare, particularly during long-distance transport (see EUROPE 12693/13).
European Commissioner for Health Stella Kyriakides has confirmed that the European Commission will present a proposal to revise the 2005 animal welfare legislation in 2023. She mentioned, as did several Member States (including Germany, France, the Scandinavian countries and the Czech Republic), the need to review and harmonise the rules on animal transport and the introduction of animal welfare labelling for agricultural products.
France considered that the improvement of animal welfare is a factor for the future of the European livestock sector in order to create economic value by differentiating itself from other farming methods outside the EU. In particular, France has called for the inclusion of pets in the animal welfare strategy.
For Italy, it is important to sanction behaviour that does not comply with the relevant principles.
Sweden criticised the lack of compliance with the rules on the transport of live animals.
The Czech Republic called for a ban on raising laying hens in battery cages by 2030 and improved welfare for pigs, “while ensuring competitiveness”.
Labelling of foodstuffs containing eggs. The German delegation asked for mandatory labelling of products containing eggs (pasta, mayonnaise), to indicate the type of farming system used for laying hens.
Several countries, such as Italy, Austria (which has also called for minimum standards on the way turkeys are raised), Denmark (which is in favour of ending raising hens in battery cages), the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Slovakia and Cyprus, have supported this request.
France, for its part, has called for a harmonised labelling system. “Until we have full harmonisation (including imported products), the approach can only be voluntary”, the country said. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)