During a debate at the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Thursday 19 December, the Commissioner for Animal Health and Welfare, Olivér Várhelyi, gave assurances that he would “modernise existing animal welfare standards” and begin a “follow-up” to European citizens’ initiatives (ECIs), including the one calling for an end to the use of cages.
An open debate will be held next year, including farmers, with a view to publishing the first proposals in 2026,...