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Wild Animals in EU Circuses: Problems, Risks and Solutions

Wildlife
Report

Today’s growing concerns about the ethics of using wild animals for public entertainment have led to increasing calls from the public to end this practice. In Europe, this is reflected in the national legislation of 24 Member States, as well as the UK’s England, Wales and Scotland, who have adopted restrictions on the use of either all, or exclusively wild, animals in circuses. This report provides an overview of the current legislation and restrictions on the use of animals in circuses in all EU Member States, with a particular focus on the process of enforcement of total bans on the use of wild animals in the respective countries. The goal of this analysis is to recommend solutions that can be adopted when phasing out the use of wild animals in circuses.

Summary of the “Accountability Report: the Karim Allah and Elbeik’s crises. Animal welfare during sea transport”, by Joaquín Ortega Abogados, S.L law firm

Farm Animals
Report

On 18th December 2020, the livestock vessels Karim Allah (1) and Elbeik (2) departed from the ports of Cartagena and Tarragona (Spain), bound for Iskenderun (Turkey). Originally foreseen as a 10-day journey from a European (EU) to a non-EU country, the 2,600 bovines onboard underwent a three-month odyssey with a fatal outcome. Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF) and Eurogroup for Animals, deeply concerned about the suffering the 2,600 bovines had to endure over a three months period, commissioned the law firm Joaquín Ortega Abogados, S.L. an in depth analysis of these two cases. The aim was to identify the roles and responsibilities of the actors involved in these transport operations. Evidence collected and reported by the law firm indicates that the welfare of the animals on board of these livestock vessels was seriously compromised.

Briefing: India. Animal Protection in EU Trade Negotiations

Trade & Animal Welfare
Report

The EU and India have been discussing a comprehensive trade agreement for almost 15 years and one of the main stumbling blocks remains the inclusion of provisions on Trade and Sustainable Development. While these trade negotiations are on hold, the political context is rapidly changing. The EU has launched its European Green Deal and a new Trade Strategy – which will have to “unequivocally support the Green Deal in all its dimensions”. In addition, the world is facing an increasing number of challenges that can only be resolved through international cooperation – climate change, biodiversity loss, antimicrobial resistance, spread of zoonoses – and at the heart of these challenges often lies the food system, and animal welfare.

The EU campaigns to promote meat, eggs and dairy

Farm Animals
Report

Since 2014, the European Commission has subsidised numerous campaigns promoting the consumption of meat, eggs, and dairy products in the EU and globally. The European Commission’s contribution to these campaigns is vast, with millions spent each year. These financial contributions are inconsistent with the EU’s commitment to promoting sustainable, healthy diets and reducing meat consumption in the EU as laid out in the Biodiversity Strategy and the Farm to Fork strategy.

Catching Up: Fish Welfare in Wild Capture Fisheries

Aquatic Animals
Report

Every year, somewhere around one trillion (1,000,000,000,000) wild fish are captured, with a significant majority being killed for food. Even with this conservative estimate, this far outnumbers any animal farmed for food, and yet despite scientific evidence that fish are sentient – public concern and consumer awareness about fish and their welfare is far behind that of other farmed animals. This report looks at the various hazards faced by wild fish throughout the process of capture, through to handling and death, and proposes measures and strategies to reduce unnecessary suffering.

The Welfare of Broiler Chickens in the EU: From Science to Action

Farm Animals
Report

Meat chickens (broilers) are the most numerous terrestrial farmed animals in the European Union (EU).
They are predominantly reared indoors in intensive farming systems. The main aims of this document are to summarise scientific findings on the welfare challenges that broiler chickens face during all stages of their life, including those not currently addressed by minimum legal requirements, and to highlight the potential solutions, with an emphasis on the role that higher welfare broiler chicken production can play in addressing the most pressing issues.

Briefing: China. What could the European Union and China achieve for animals?

Trade & Animal Welfare
Report

Relations between the European Union and China have reached an unprecedented level since they were first
established in 1975, and sustainability has become a key topic for both partners. How we produce and consume food has an impact not only on animals but also on public health, the environment, people and climate. An increased focus on animal welfare can play a key role in finding solutions to many of the current global challenges we are facing – including climate change and antimicrobial resistance, as well as pandemics. Considering the pressing nature of these crises and recent political developments for both partners, there has never been a better time to call on the European Union and China to cooperate on this topic.

From Stable to Fork: EU Horse Meat Imports

Equines
Report

Just under 66.1 million horses are recorded as livestock worldwide, with 6.3 million being slaughtered every year. Equine welfare and the traceability and identification of horses has been a topic of heated discussions in the last few years. In 2013, the European Union was shaken by its own horse meat scandal, when supposed beef products sold at retailers turned out to contain horse meat. It led many consumers to question the content of their food. Longer supply chains and more operators are involved in the equine meat industry compared to other categories of meat, which increases risks for consumers and animals.

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Animal Welfare and Food Labeling: Initiating the Transition Through High Quality Consumer Information

Farm Animals
Report

In the past ten years, labeling initiatives informing consumers on farm animal welfare in food production
have emerged in the EU Member States. Today, there are a dozen labeling schemes pertaining to farm animal welfare in at least six Member States. Eurogroup for Animals supports the adoption of a “Method-of-Production + label,” which is a label that would combine method-of-production marking with simple information on animal welfare, based on a core set of animal welfare indicators. To ensure full transparency to consumers, the scope of an animal welfare-related label should further cover the entire supply chain: breeding, fattening, transport, and slaughter.

Kangaroo: From Australian Icon to Meat and Luxury Leather for the EU

Wildlife
Report

Although kangaroos and wallabies are Australia’s national symbol, almost 90 million of them have been hunted for their skin or meat over the last 30 years. All commercially hunted kangaroos are wild animals, not farmed for meat production purposes, and the EU currently is Australia’s main market for kangaroo exports, both for skins and hides and for meat products. This report provides explains why Eurogroup for Animals believes it is high time that the EU introduces an import ban on all goods derived from the hunting of kangaroos.

Analysis of national legislation related to the keeping and sale of exotic pets in Europe

Wildlife
Report

The lack of proper regulations on the keeping of exotic pet animals and insufficient knowledge of private keepers undermine the welfare and health of both humans and animals and poses a threat to biodiversity. This report provides an analysis of national legislation related to the keeping and sale of exotic pets in Europe as well as recommendations for national governments.

The Illegal Pet Trade: Game Over

Cats & Dogs
Report

The large majority of pets from illegal sources are sold online, and their lucrative trade across the EU is often disguised as the noncommercial movement of pets. These cats and dogs often do not comply with the health requirements established in the Regulation (EU) No 576/2013, are too young to have been vaccinated, and are accompanied by fraudulent passports which provide false information on their origin. The illegal Europe-wide trade in pets, which is facilitated by digital tools, threatens not just the welfare of the animals involved, but also animal health, public health and consumers. There is therefore an urgency to improve control mechanisms and revise the broken supply chain. A legal framework must also be provided to ensure this trade can happen in a sustainable, humane way.

Briefing: Australia. Animal Protection in EU Trade Negotiations

Trade & Animal Welfare
Report

The time is ripe for the EU to seriously discuss farm animal welfare standards with Australia, notably around
handling, transport and the slaughter of bovines and sheep, but that is not to say that the EU should refrain
from discussing other topics less relevant to their current trade with Australia, such as broilers and laying
hens. Currently, in the aftermath of the huge scandal that arose around the horrendous conditions endured
by animals exported alive from Australia, the Australian government is showing willingness to improve the
situation and to take responsibility at the federal level for animal welfare issues. There is also strong support
among the population, so the trade negotiations with the EU could provide crucial support to Australia’s
internal efforts in the field.

Briefing: New Zealand. Animal Protection in EU Trade Negotiations

Trade & Animal Welfare
Report

According to the Animal Protection Index, New Zealand is considered one of the top-tier countries alongside
the UK, Austria and Switzerland. Citizens, both in the EU and New Zealand, care for animals, and as both partners have a relatively higher level of animal welfare standards, they share an interest in discussing how these standards interact with trade policy. In October 2017, New Zealand elected a progressive government, although it has not yet delivered on the commitments it made in relation to animals. This provides a clear opportunity for the EU to push for ambitious language on animal welfare to be included in the future EU-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement.

Exotic Pet Trade: Analysis of the Problems and Identification of Solutions

Wildlife
Report

The present report aims at summarising and explaining the problems related to the keeping and trade of exotic pets, presenting arguments stated in peer reviewed articles and published reports. This report also demonstrates that, while there are several ways to regulate the keeping and sale of exotic pets, a Positive List (a list of allowed species) is the most effective, concise, transparent, precautionary, enforceable and economically feasible way to reduce the suffering of exotic animals and the risks for the environment and the human and animal health.

A Strategy to Reduce and Replace Live Animal Transport: Towards a Meat and Carcasses Only Trade

Farm Animals
Report

This report builds on the 2019 call by the European Parliament echoed by the European Commission, to formulate a strategy to shift to meat and carcasses as well as the semen and embryos trade. This trade is already a reality and should be systematically promoted and implemented for animal health and welfare, economics and environmental reasons. To this end, this report highlights potential policy, structural
and financial initiatives that, by negating the drivers of live trade, should be taken into account in developing a strategy to shift to a meat and carcasses-only trade.

Animal Welfare, Trade and Sustainable Development Goals

Trade & Animal Welfare
Report

Animal welfare is an important moral concern in its own right and an inherent element of sustainability. On the one hand, industrial animal agriculture not only has low welfare standards but also puts several of the SDGs out of reach, including those related to smallholder livelihoods, food security, biodiversity, the environment and climate change. On the other hand, improving the welfare of working animals can contribute positively to several SDGs. Using trade policy to impact animal welfare is thus crucial to achieve the SDGs.

Optimising Layer Hen Welfare in Cage-Free Systems

Farm Animals
Report

While the transition away from caged to cage-free systems is a positive step for the welfare of laying hens,
the design and management of cage-free housing have an important impact on animal welfare and need to
be taken into account when managing the transition. The main aim of this document is to highlight aspects
of cage-free egg production that require special attention to protect animal welfare, and gives some recommendations that can be useful for policy makers and industry stakeholders for maximising the welfare of laying hens in cage-free systems.

Looking Beneath the Surface: Fish Welfare in European Aquaculture

Aquatic Animals
Report

This report provides an overview of the extent to which fish welfare might be impacted within the aquaculture industry, by describing the main processes of fish farming and their associated welfare implications. The report then outlines how these welfare issues can be addressed, by considering the current regulatory framework in relation to the welfare of farmed fish, including a critique of the Commission’s 2017 report and recommendations. Finally, this report sets out some recommendations for formal remedial action. Eurogroup for Animals believes that swift action is vital if fish are to be protected from further harm; application of the recommendations in this report would significantly improve the welfare of fish in the aquaculture industry.

The Implementation of the Positive List for Mammal Pets in Belgium: A Success Story

Wildlife
Report

A positive list is a list of species that are allowed to be kept as pets, with or without the requirement of a permit or authorisation. This is an efficient, clear and precautionary way to reduce the risks caused by exotic species and to minimize their welfare problems. As Belgium has been the first European Union country which adopted a positive list system to regulate the keeping and sale of exotic pets, this offers an excellent opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of the system.

Meeting Report of the High Level Seminar 'Animal Welfare 2016-2020'

Political Advocacy
Report

At the 15th of March 2016 Eurogroup for Animals hosted, jointly with the cross political EP Intergroup for the Welfare and Conservation of Animals, a seminar at the European Parliament. The aim of the seminar was to discuss the future of animal welfare in the European Union by opening a constructive dialogue on the results to be generated from the Joint Declaration on Animal Welfare initiated by the German, Danish and Dutch Agricultural Ministers in December 2014. When signing the Ministerial Declaration on Pig Welfare, launched in April 2015, the Swedish Agricultural Minister joined this animal welfare coalition as well. The perspectives
for the EU to deliver in these declarations were reviewed.

Removing the Blinkers: The Health and Welfare of European Equidae in 2015

Equines
Report

Equidae in 21st century Europe play a myriad of roles - they are perhaps the most versatile animals humans have domesticated. While this diversity of use has ensured that equidae have remained close to humans, it has also created problems when seeking protection for them in law. This report aims to give a snapshot of equidae and the equine sector in the EU in 2015, uncover welfare problems, analyse the legislation currently in place affecting them, and recommend how legislation can better protect these animals.

2010 Areas of Concern

Political Advocacy
Report

This document covers the main areas of concern for animal welfare. It aims to provide a better understanding of each topic from different viewpoints: economic; consumer; welfare problems; existing legislation at European and national level and finally what can realistically be done to improve the situation. It is not intended to be exhaustive but used as a practical reference document, providing updates on a wide range of animal welfare issues which can be regulated at EU level.