European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare Olivér Várhelyi promised on Monday 31 March at the meeting of the EU Platform on Animal Welfare that he would present proposals to revise existing legislation, including “phasing out cages, taking a sector-by-sector approach”.
He recalled that the European Commission had responded positively to the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) on Ending the Cage Age - “and we are working on how to implement it” (see EUROPE 13550/15).
He also welcomed the fact that the platform’s discussions had focused on the poultry sector. “This year will be about consultations, and I want to open these discussions to all stakeholders as promised“. Once these discussions have been completed, “hopefully next year, we will be able to present proposals, taking into consideration the results of these consultations and also the data on the impact on farmers and the agri-food chain system”, added the commissioner.
Olivér Várhelyi reiterated that currently the main problem was applying existing rules, which needed considerable improvement. “Better compliance can be a game-changer”. For the future, he is counting heavily on monitoring indicators and new technologies that will enable us to “focus on outcomes” rather than standards. The platform’s mandate has been renewed until June 2030. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)