EU Animal Welfare Action Plan essential for sustainable future

4 February 2010

Eurogroup for Animals today highlighted the fact that good animal welfare will undoubtedly benefit all of our society and meet the challenges of sustainability during a seminar organised by the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) at the European Parliament. Speaking alongside members of the European Parliament, European Commission and leading bodies from Europe’s agriculture and animal welfare sectors it also repeated its call for the European Commission to come forward with a second EU Animal Welfare Action Plan.

A new Action Plan is essential and it must consider a wide mix of policy tools to ensure animal welfare in Europe continually improves. It must have as one of its main pillars a clear enforcement strategy and there must also be consistency with other policy areas, including agriculture, environment, research and trade. A whole host of non-legislative instruments will also need to be developed and the Commission must set up an Animal Welfare Centre to co-ordinate and manage this at EU level.

Parliament calls for strong EU position on protection of endangered species

29 January 2010

The European Par-liament’s Environment Committee has called for better protection of critically endangered species as it adopted a motion for a reso-lution on the EU position for the 15th international CITES meeting on Wednesday.

In March, countries that are party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) will meet in Doha, Qatar to discuss the possible strengthening of protection of endangered species such as blue fin tuna. As the EU is an observer to CITES and many EU Member States are individual parties to the Convention, a European position to these proposals is of great importance.

Environment Committee members voted to support all of the major amendments proposed by Eurogroup for Animals such as the proposals to ban the trade in polar bears. They also opposed proposals to fully open trade in bobcats and the down-listing of elephant species, which would essentially open the door to the ivory trade. Eurogroup is particularly pleased to see that MEPs voted against amendments that would have undermined the protection for the blue fin tuna and several shark species.

Eurogroup will continue to work with the European Parliament to ensure that the final EU position, to be voted on during its next plenary session, reflects the Environment Committee’s views.

Animal welfare confirmed at heart of Lisbon Treaty
25 January 2010

Commission President Barrosso has confirmed that animal welfare will be at the heart of next Commission’s work. In a letter to Eurogroup, he also confirmed that the mechanisms developed in recent years to enhance the protection and welfare of animals will be reassessed in light of the new Article 13 in the Lisbon Treaty on animal welfare.

Sonja Van Tichelen, Director of Eurogroup for Animals commented: ” We welcome this approach and are pleased that the Commission has already launched an evaluation of EU policy on animal welfare. This will include a wide stakeholder consultation in which we will be involved and which will deliver a clear reflection on where the EU needs to focus its action with regard to animal welfare.”

The consultation, EUPAW, short for EU Policy on Animal Welfare, opened this week and can be accessed by clicking on the link below.

Eurogroup encouraged by plans new SANCO commissioner
15 January 2010

Animal welfare top priority, candidate commissioner John Dalli tells MEPs

Animal welfare is to be one of the core issues to be taken charge of by the new Commissioner for Health and Consumers. This is the main conclusion of the parliamentary hearing of Mr John Dalli, the proposed candidate to lead the Commission’s Directorate General for Health and Consumers. Mr Dalli faced questions by Members of the European Parliament who are expected to vote to either approve or disapprove the new College of Commissioners on 26 January.

The commissioner designate also stated he intends to investigate the issue of cloning animals for food production – a method opposed by animal welfare organisations – and draft a report on the subject within a year of being appointed. Dalli told MEPs that it is “important that we focus on this issue” as the animal welfare aspects of cloning are “very problematic”.

The candidate commissioner also stressed the importance of the proper enforcement of welfare rules for transported animals, saying “the Commission will move as fast as it can” to ensure effective enforcement of these rules.

Eurogroup for Animals is pleased to hear of the commissioner designate’s intentions and commitment to animal welfare issues and feels strengthened in the hope that he may bring to the table new improvements to the welfare of animals in Europe.

New rules to counter illegal and unregulated fishing
13 January 2010

As of 1 January 2010 a stricter control system for fishing in EU waters entered into force. The new system is to protect our seas from overfishing and illegal and unregulated fishing. The control system was also put in place to counter attempts by unfair fisherman to maximise their catch without regard for others.

EU figures reveal that illegal fishing in the EU is worth approximately € 10 billion per annum. As a result of this new legislative package, all marine fishery products traded within the European Community will now also need to be certified and its origin is to be traceable. The new rules also ensure better regulation of by-catch, hereby restricting the number of unwanted fish harvested from the waters.

Disappointment about compromise on protection of research animals
18 December 2009

In their desire to reach an early agreement, the EU institutions have missed the opportunity to significantly improve the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. This is the overall sentiment felt by animal welfare groups in Europe as the European Parliament, Council and Commission are nearing the final stages of the revision process of the EU Directive on animal experimentation, which dates back to 1986.

Eurogroup for Animals criticizes the limited number of improvements made to the current rules and is dismayed that the obligation to use alternatives to animal tests whenever possible – in place at present - has been weakened. It seems that the interests of researchers and industry are deemed more important to policy-makers than avoiding the suffering of millions of animals used in research and testing.

A preliminary agreement was reached between the institutions on 7 December, in their attempt to avoid a full discussion by the European Parliament during a second reading. Formal acceptance of the text  during the next Agriculture Council is now the aim, after which a final vote in the European Parliament will be a mere formality.

Some other key issues of concern to Eurogroup are: the restriction denying the Member States the option to introduce stricter national measures which may offer better protection for animals in some countries; A lack of a strategy to achieve rapid replacement of the use of primates with alternatives methods; and the proposal that not all projects are to require prior authorisation by means of a full (strict) procedure, which would be the only way to ensure the best protection for the animals involved.Eurogroup will continue to work with Member States to ensure the discussions go on and that these issues receive proper consideration.