Eurogroup for Animals

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For a Europe that cares for animals

Eurogroup for Animals represents a united voice for animal welfare organisations in Europe. For more than 25 years, we have been working to improve the way animals are treated and kept throughout the European Union. The long-standing relationship we have established with the EU institutions allows us to be recognised as a credible partner for all the policy issues that affect animals. Our objective is a Europe that cares for all animals.

On this site you will find information about our main activities.

NEWS

Eurogroup director honoured with award

Eurogroup director Sonja Van Tichelen has been given a prestigious award in honour of her contribution to animal welfare. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) presented her with the award during its annual general meeting on 28 June. The British animal welfare organisation, which is one of the largest in the world, praised the way Mrs Van Tichelen had transformed Eurogroup into a modern, well-run organisation, and how her strategic thinking and organisation skills have led to important wins for animals such as bans on the battery cage and an end to the use of veal crates.

Mrs Van Tichelen joined Eurogroup as a campaign coordinator in 1992. In 1997 she was promoted to deputy director before becoming director in 2004. Under her leadership, Eurogroup embarked on an ambitious expansion programme to represent animal welfare organisations all over the European Union. It is now the number one organisation for advising European institutions on animal welfare issues, while it continues to succeed in getting the Union to adopt higher legal standards.

Paul McCartney supports demonstrators in call for ban on trade in seal products

Rock legend Paul McCartney joined concerned citizens from all over Europe in their call for a strong EU ban on the trade in seal products as they demonstrated outside the offices of the European Commission in Brussels today. Organised by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Humane Society International (HSI), GAIA and Eurogroup for Animals, the peaceful demonstration attracted people from across the European Union and beyond, including countries such as Germany, Slovakia, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Hungary, Finland, UK, Sweden, Italy, and Croatia.

The Commission is expected to publish a proposal on a possible ban soon. The date of the demonstration was selected to coincide with the start of the French presidency and the start of the Namibian seal hunt, which is the second largest one in the world.

Paul McCartney paid tribute to the demonstrators in a surprise video message shown on a screen. The dedicated animal welfare supporter said: "Stopping the import of seal fur into the European Union could really put an end to this brutality once and for all - please ask the EU to ban this terrible trade today."

click to see pictures of the demonstration

Council reaches agreement on plant protection products

The Council of the European Union has reached political agreement on a regulation about the placing on the market of plant protection products. Chemicals used to kill pests and protect plants are tested on animals. This is why Eurogroup has been working to avoid duplicate animal testing and promotion of alternative methods in the revision of the plant protection products legislation. Once the Council adopts their common position on the text, the European Parliament will have three months to adopt their position.

Commissioner pledges support to developing alternatives to animal tests

Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas has committed to strengthening the role of the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods to help develop more alternatives to animal testing. The commissioner made the pledge while addressing a meeting of the EP Intergroup on the welfare and conservation of animals in Strasbourg.

The Commission is currently working on a revision of the directive on animal experimentation, and Mr Dimas said he was personally pushing to have the proposal adopted before the summer break. He added the proposal would also include new legislation on the use of non-human primates. MEPs have been calling for their use to be phased out.

International demonstration to call for strong ban on seal products

Campaigners from all over Europe will be travelling to Brussels on 1 July to demonstrate in support of an unconditional EU-wide ban on seal products. Organised by IFAW, Humane Society International (HSI), GAIA and Eurogroup for Animals, the demonstration will take place outside the offices of the European Commission, to urge them to impose a strong ban now.

The demonstration will feature people from all over the European Union (click for more information).

New annual report has been published

Eurogroup for Animals is proud to present its new annual report. The report shows the many opportunities there have been over the past year to put animal welfare on the top of the political agenda.

With support of our ever growing number of members societies, we have worked hard to highlight opportunities to improve animal protection as well as to alert legislators to dangers of new policy decisions. To download a copy of the report, click here.

Eurogroup has also produced a new leaflet to inform people about what we do. To download a copy of the leaflet, click here.

Dr Jane Goodall receives European award in recognition of work

World-renowned primatologist Dr Jane Goodall has received an award for outstanding service to animal welfare from Eurogroup for Animals. It is in recognition of her groundbreaking research on chimpanzees, her dedicated work to protect them and their habitats, and her continuing campaign against the use of non-human primates in research and testing.

Parliament calls for more focus on animal welfare

The European Parliament approved today a report that asks for less livestock transport and limits on the size of farms as a way of reducing the risk of animal diseases spreading. Eurogroup for Animals urges the European Commission to take up the recommendations of this report, whose objective is to strengthen the EU animal health strategy.

Study calls for end to inhumane practices

Intensive farming leads to unacceptable risk to people’s health, animal’s welfare, and the environment, according to an independent American study. The Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production studied industrial farming in the States for 2.5 years and concluded drastic changes will need to be made.

One of its recommendations is to phase out inhumane production practices such as gestation crates and battery cages within a decade. The current system increases the risk of animals becoming stressed and ill, and the risk of diseases spreading from animals to humans. The report also explicitly links food safety to the health of the animals producing the food.

Eurogroup for Animals welcomes the independent report that highlights the pitfalls of modern agriculture and its attention to animal welfare. Higher welfare standards would benefit animals and humans alike.

Call for seal products ban hits the headlines

A press conference to call for a ban on seal products across the European Union has made headlines across the world. The press conference in Brussels was held on Friday by Eurogroup for Animals, together with member organisations IFAW, HSI and GAIA to encourage the Commission to go ahead with the ban.

Reports on the call for a ban appeared in English, French, German, Spanish and Dutch on about 250 websites from Australia, to Sri Lanka, Australia, Canada, the US, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, France, and the Netherlands. These included websites by prestigious publications such as the International Herald Tribune, the Washington Post, the Globe and Mail, De Morgen, and Le Figaro. Three television crews were also present at the press conference to report on it.

Eurogroup welcomes this wide media interest, which shows people care deeply about a ban on seal products. It urges the Commission to do the right thing and impose a ban now.

Forum to discuss benefits animal welfare

Eurogroup for Animals is one of the organisers of the International Forum on Global Aspects of Farm Animal Welfare, which is taking place in Brussels on 22-23 April. The forum brings together anyone from farmers, retailers, politicians, academics, and animal welfare organisations to discuss the development of standards for animal welfare on a global scale. Eurogroup members RSPCA, Compassion in World Farming, and the World Society for the Protection of Animals are also involved in the event, as are the European Commission trade and health and consumers services.

Retail project calls attention to free-rangeeggs

Five of Eurogroup’s member organisations have joined forces to work together on a unique retail project. Animal welfare organisations Klub Gaja and OTOZ in Poland, Fauna Society in Hungary, Nadace na Ochranu Zvirat in the Czech Republic, and Sloboda Zvierat in Slovakia all surveyed supermarkets in their own country on eggs from non-caged chickens. Their research revealed that many supermarkets are still failing to meet increasing demand for eggs from non factory farmed chickens. In a survey done by the European Union last year, 59% of people in Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic said they would be willing to change their usual place of shopping in order to buy more animal welfare friendly products.

This project is the first animal welfare initiative to be given a grant by the prestigious Visegrad Fund, which finances joint ventures between the four countries. They will all be publishing the result of their survey this month.

EU rules no exemption on slaughteringfor Romania

The European Commission has refused to grant an exemption on cultural grounds to Romania over the home slaughter of pigs at Christmas. Many Romanian families kill one or two pigs in the festive season by slitting the animals' throats, which contravenes a European directive that stipulates pigs, sheep and goats should be stunned first if they are being killed at home for own consumption.

An investigation by Eurogroup for Animals and Vier Pfoten Romania uncovered that the practice is still widespread in the country. In reply to a Eurogroup letter alerting it on this worrying situation, the Commission admitted that Romania was in breach of European legislation. The Commission has now told the country to take action.

Eurogroup for Animals believes tradition should never be used as an excuse to make animals suffer unnecessarily.

New commissioner pledges animalwelfare improvements

New health commissioner Androula Vassiliou has promised to improve livestock transport as part as part of new measures to improve animals’ welfare. The former lawyer, who is following in the footsteps of Markos Kyprianou, was yesterday questioned by European parliamentarians to assess her suitability. Vasiliou, who will also be responsible for animal health and welfare, said she had watched videos on animal transport which made her feel ashamed. Her directorate would discuss a new proposal regarding stocking densities and transport duration.

In her speech Vasiliou also confirmed her commitment to animal welfare. She said: “I am very concerned about the decent treatment of animals, and feel there is a lot of room for improving animal welfare.”

Eurogroup for Animals welcomes this commitment and looks forward to working with her.

Decision to allow hormone-fed beef criticised

Eurogroup for Animals and other NGOs have hit out at a decision to force hormone-fed beef on consumers in Europe. The World Trade Organisation ruled this week that the European Union should lift its ban on the import of US and Canadian hormone-fed beef or face commercial sanctions.

The decision has been condemned by Eurogroup, Friends of the Earth Europe, RSPCA, WSPA and Compassion in World Farming, as they believe people are entitled to choose what they eat. Two thirds of consumers admitted to being concerned about residues in meats from antibiotics or hormones in a European-wide survey.

Adolfo Sansolini, trade policy advisor for Eurogroup, said: "The WTO has got to allow its member countries the freedom to decide how their food is produced. We are sorry to notice that these non-trade concerns are still considered just as a trade barrier."

Seal hunters under scrutiny

Seal hunters in Canada are having their bloody work exposed by two of Eurogroup for Animals’ member organisations. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the Humane Society of the United States have been closely monitoring the hunters with the help of helicopters and cameras since the hunt started at the end of last week. Already more than 1,000 animals have been killed out of the 275,000 allowed by the Canadian government this year. Footage shot by IFAW shows how the hunters kill the seals and in one video how a bleeding seal is being dragged across the ice.

Eurogroup for Animals welcomes this close scrutiny as it enables people to see for themselves what cruel actions are behind the trade in seal fur. The Netherlands and Belgium have already banned the import of seal fur, and the European Union is currently considering whether to adopt a European-wide ban.

Americans oppose food from cloned animals

The majority of Americans surveyed would not want to eat food products from cloned animals, according to a Food and Drug Administration report just published in the US. Each of the focus groups surveyed for the report brought up serious health and ethical concerns, and all of the parents questioned said they would never give food products from cloned animals to their own children.

Eurogroup for Animals believes this demonstrates that cloning for food is unwanted on both sides of the Atlantic, which is why the EU should ban the practice as well as the import of food products from cloned animals and their offspring.

Director Sonja Van Tichelen said: “Consumers in neither America nor Europe want to have food products from clones or their offspring, so why introduce it in the first place?”

Survey shows support for grant cuts for farmers who break rules

Eurogroup for Animals has welcomed a new survey which shows nearly nine out of ten European citizens support payments being cut for farmers who ignore animal welfare standards.

According to a Eurobarometer published today 86% of respondents believe that a reduction of payments based on non-compliance with animal welfare standards would be justified.

The survey was conducted among thousands of people across the whole of Europe and shows there is support for a reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. The European Union is currently reviewing the policy, and Eurogroup urges politicians to give more money to farmers who exceed standards for animal welfare. The results of the new survey demonstrate people care deeply about how animals are being treated and want to see this reflected in the grants.

New commissioner for animal health

Eurogroup for Animals welcomes the European Union’s new health commissioner, who will also be responsible for animal health and welfare.

Androula Vassiliou is taking over from Markos Kyprianou, who has left the post to become foreign minister in his native Cyprus. Kyprianou was committed to improving conditions for animals, and had intended to come with proposals on livestock transport before the end of his mandate.

His successor Vassiliou is also from Cyprus, where she worked as a lawyer and served as a health minister. She has been very active on human rights and the environment. She will be formally confirmed during a hearing in Parliament next month.

Eurogroup is looking forward to working with her and to discussing ways to improve the treatment of animals.

Eurogroup initiates coalition to ban cloning

Eurogroup has brought together a monster coalition of organisations representing anything from farmers, scientists, consumers to environmentalists to voice the widespread concerns about cloning.

The coalition has written an open letter to the European Commission to call for an immediate ban on the cloning of animals for food production, and on the import and sale of imported food products from cloned animals and their offspring.

Signatories from 20 different organisations point out that cloning is inefficient, would greatly reduce genetic diversity within livestock populations, and would encourage people to view farm animals as commodities rather than sentient beings.

MEPs call for ban on cloning

European parliamentarians are calling for the European Union to ban cloning of animals for food and any products derived from their offspring.

Members of the European Parliamentary Intergroup on Animal Welfare voted in Strasbourg in favour of a motion for a resolution to be presented to Parliament. The resolution urges the European Commission to prohibit cloning of animals for food and any products from cloned animals and their offspring.

News of the draft motion has been welcomed by animal welfare organisation Eurogroup for Animals, which provides the secretariat for the Intergroup and also favours an immediate ban.

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