The European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee is expected to vote on Tuesday 26 October, adopting the draft report by Jérémy Decerle (Renew Europe, France) on the implementation report on animal welfare on farms, in favour of a “harmonised mandatory European framework with common requirements for voluntary animal welfare labelling”.
This request corresponds to the content of a compromise amendment negotiated between the political groups in parliament, which should be endorsed by the Agriculture Committee. In addition, MEPs are concerned about the results of a previous impact assessment carried out by the Commission in 2012, which indicated that animal welfare labelling would increase costs for the industry without necessarily increasing profits.
The members of this committee are expected to adopt, among others, 30 compromise amendments on various animal welfare issues.
In addition to the compromise requesting that the European Commission set up an animal welfare label that would remain on a voluntary basis, but with a compulsory framework at European level, other areas of agreement were found on important subjects.
As such, the Commission is expected to be asked to bring trade policy “in line” with EU animal protection and welfare standards “by reassessing trade agreements with third countries” and by introducing “reciprocity” in new bilateral and multilateral trade agreements “in order to create a level playing field, avoid undermining the economic profitability of EU producers, and ensure that third countries respect EU animal welfare and product quality standards”.
MEPs also regret that so far only two Member States have banned docking in pigs and suggest that more scientific research should be funded to find ways to avoid biting and docking.
‘End the cage age’. MEPs support the European citizens’ initiative (ECI) on ending cages in animal husbandry. However, they are asking for a transition period and support for livestock farmers, in particular via measures planned in the future national strategic plans for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
The European Commission will present new legislation on animal welfare by the end of 2023. Parliament will request that any future legislative initiative (new legislation or revision of existing texts) leading to a change in the farming system be based on sound and recent scientific data or studies.
Link to the compromise amendments put to the vote: https://bit.ly/2XIKEbd (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)