Brussels, 24/02/2004 (Agence Europe) - On 23 February the European Commission obtained today official observer status within the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) at the first ever global conference on animal welfare bringing together the 166 member countries of the OIE and various OIE-affiliated international organisations. The observer status will now enable the Commission to advance the EU´s view on all international animal health and welfare issues.
At the conference Commissioner David Byrne appealed for animal welfare to be recognised at an international level. The EU supports every step to achieve higher animal welfare standards not just within the EU but worldwide. Animal welfare standards are not defined at an international level except in Conventions by the Council of Europe and some multilateral agreements. However current WTO provisions take little account of animal welfare and the EU can therefore not require its own animal welfare standards to be respected in third countries. Nevertheless the Doha 2001 conclusions placed non-trade concerns, including animal welfare, firmly on the agenda for future WTO agricultural negotiations.
The Commission endorses the OIE's approach of basing animal welfare guidelines and standards on the best available science and setting up expert groups to advise on the specific issues. Recently OIE expert groups have been working to develop international standards and guidelines on the welfare of animals during land and sea transport, humane slaughter for consumption and the killing of animals for disease. Separate guiding principles on animal welfare are due to be adopted at the General Session of the OIE International Committee in May 2004. However OIE Member countries are free to maintain their own standards if these are higher, i.e. the EU standards.