4 May 2009

This week, the European Parliament will be voting on three very important animal welfare dossiers. The last plenary session of this Parliament's mandate will vote on the revised rules for the protection of laboratory animals, revised rules for the protection of animals during killing and the EU ban on trade in seal products.

Animal welfare organisations across the world thus have their eyes fixed on Strasbourg this week, as they and millions of animal welfare supporters now look to MEPs to vote to increase the protection of animals and ultimately persuade EU citizens, in turn, to vote in their favour at the EU Parliament elections in just a month's time.

Eurogroup asks MEPs to support our amendments to the animal experimentation and slaughter proposal and to vote in support of a ban on the trade in seal products.

21 April 2009

Eurogroup For Animals has written to the European Commission to express our concerns over the half-hearted approach adopted by the EU’s institutions in their plans for the creation of new rules aimed at improving the welfare of animals during transport.

The reason behind our concerns is the fact that the current proposal includes provisions we believe will seriously weaken the protection of transported animals by not imposing appropriate measures or including clear specifications. Although we welcome the Commission’s proposal to restrict the transport of animals sent to the slaughterhouse to nine hours, the text allows for an unrestricted number of exemptions that may be granted by member states. The very imprecise definition of “slaughter animals” will also allow transporters to avoid journey time restrictions: if they say the animals are being transported for further fattening, they will be able to transport them longer.

Eurogroup is also concerned that the text does not make reference to a legal basis for real time checks on transport movements via a global positioning unit – a clear necessity if the proposed regulation is to be properly enforced.
By sending this letter, Eurogroup has now asked these concerns to be addressed by the Commission before the proposal is sent to the full College of Commissioners.

8 April 2009

The European Commission’s Fisheries Directorate has today presented a Communication on the EU’s aquaculture potential. Aquaculture or the farming of aquatic animals including fish and crustaceans and aquatic plants is a growing food sector in the EU and policy makers are looking to increase Europe’s competitiveness and sustainability.

Fish farming has numerous implications for animal welfare and this Communication recognises the importance of the welfare of farmed fish for the development of sustainable aquaculture.

Eurogroup welcomes this clear recognition of welfare concerns and is also pleased to see that the Commission plans to launch a project to evaluate fish welfare in aquaculture with a view to possibly introducing legislation on this topic.

1 April 2009

Eurogroup for Animals is deeply disappointed with the results of the vote of the European Parliament's Agriculture Committee on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes yesterday afternoon.

The Agriculture Committee have adopted amendments that will remove important mechanisms for the protection of research animals from the proposed text drafted by the European Commission if these amendments are also adopted in plenary next month.

Some MEPs have even contradicted themselves by voting to make it easier to experiment on primates while they had previously (September 2008) adopted a resolution calling for non-human primate research to be phased out.

Eurogroup is particularly disappointed that the MEPs have allowed for tests to be carried out on animals that cause severe prolonged suffering. The authorisation procedure for determining what testing may be carried out has also been weakened.

Director of Eurogroup for Animals, Sonja Van Tichelen, is shocked to see the reluctance of some MEPs to improve the protection of research animals: "We will be working hard to inform the Members of Parliament about the impact of these amendments before they vote on this proposal in Plenary in May.
This is not a choice between science, the development of medicines or animals protection. It is about either choosing to take into account the values of a large majority of European citizens, or letting industry get away with unnecessarily using animals.
Our supporters, spread all over the EU, care deeply about this issue and will be watching closely to see how their MEPs will vote. With only a few weeks before the European elections, we will make sure this will be a key consideration for all animal welfare supporters when they cast their vote in June."

31 March 2009

This afternoon, an historic vote is to take place in the European Parliament's Agriculture Committee which will undoubtedly decide the fate of how laboratory animals are to be treated for years to come.

Twenty-three years after the introduction of the EU's directive for the protection of animals used for scientific purposes, the EU is finally revising the outdated rules that have determined how animal testing may be carried out. The Agriculture Committee is the lead committee in the Parliament's deliberations of the dossier and it will vote on the text that is sent to the Plenary in early May.

Eurogroup for Animals is concerned that the calls for the better protection for laboratory animals may be in vain as some MEPs have been tempted by the industry and research lobbies to water down the Commission proposal so as to keep animal testing as easy as possible. This would be in sharp contrast to the EU's firm stance dedicated to reducing the number of animals used and replacing animal test with alternatives.

Eurogroup urges the members of the Agriculture Committee to do the right thing by voting for amendments which will seriously reduce the number of animals to be used in research. These amendments will allow for the retaining of the quality of EU research and competitiveness, but will ensure better protection for animals and citizens alike.

25 March 2009

An overwhelming majority of Members of the European Parliament has today voted against the authorisation of food products from cloned animals and their offspring.
MEPs have made it clear that, instead of including rules on cloning for food production in the EU's pending novel foods regulation, they want a specific Commission proposal to prohibit cloning of animals for food and the import of such products.

Eurogroup for Animals welcomes the Parliament's call for a ban on the sale of food products from cloned animals and their offspring as cloned animals suffer from many defects and often die younger.

Last September, a parliamentary resolution called on the European Commission to ban cloning, but the Commission has been delaying action in the dossier for some time. Today's vote however carries more weight as the novel foods dossier is following the co-decision procedure, thereby giving the Parliament more power in deciding the ultimate outcome of the legislation.

Sonja Van Tichelen, director of Eurogroup, considers that the Commission is not respecting its own rules by delaying rules to ban the cloning of animals and by doing so the Commission is not only going against its own legal obligations, it is also ignoring the clear message sent by EU citizens: "It is unacceptable that with so many facts and figures against animal cloning, the European Commission has not yet taken the decision to ban it. By not banning cloning for food production the Commission is telling its citizens that it finds trade concerns more important than animal suffering and the concerns of its citizens."

18 March 2009

The European Parliament's lead committee in the slaughter dossier has this week done away with the significant progress made by the European Commission and the Parliament's rapporteur for the enhancing of the protection of animals at the time of killing.

The Parliament's Agriculture Committee's vote on Monday has now weakened both the favourable proposal drawn up by the European Commission and the draft report of Janusz Wojciechowski (UEN, Poland). Both documents included many of Eurogroup for Animals' demands to limit the suffering of animals sent to be killed.

Areas that have sadly been weakened concern the requirement to have an animal welfare officer present in all slaughterhouses and the requirement for all abattoir personnel to be trained and granted a certificate of competence.

Eurogroup is also very disappointed that, as a result of the vote, it will also be compulsory for member states to allow the killing of animals for religious purposes without stunning as an exemption to the general legal requirement. The Commission proposal had originally included the possibility for Member States not to grant such an exemption.

Eurogroup will now focus all of its attention on the adoption vote in plenary, scheduled for 7 May 2009, and will make sure that key amendments are once again proposed.

10 March 2009

Last night, the European Parliament's Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) Committee voted on the report by Esko Seppänen which states that as long as animals continue to be used in experiments, they deserve the highest level of protection.

This statement is, however, in sharp contrast to a number of amendments proposed by other MEPs that give the impression that scientists will be given almost complete freedom when it comes to research. The ITRE committee supports the use of alternative non-animal methods but will only accept those methods which have been internationally accepted.

The principle of using alternatives whenever available has been embedded in EU law since 1986 and it is very much at the heart of efforts to reduce the number of animals used in research.
These efforts to remove that provision are most disconcerting as it can take years of bureaucracy before alternative methods are accepted internationally. During this lengthy waiting period, animals will continue to suffer in spite of the fact that scientifically accepted alternatives exist.

A full plenary vote is expected to take place in May. Eurogroup for Animals will now step up its efforts to inform MEPs of the benefits and the urgent need to speed up the development and the use of alternative methods.

27 February 2009

Eurogroup for Animals presented the EU commissioner for health, Androulla Vassiliou, with a petition of over 150,000 signatures to end the long-distance transport of live animals yesterday.

Eurogroup is part of a global coalition of animal welfare organisations that have been campaigning for decades to end the long distance transport of live animals.
Mrs Vassiliou received the Handle With Care delegation for a short meeting and then took part in a short press briefing and photocall.

In her speech, the commissioner reiterated her commitment to initiate legislation that will impose restrictions on the duration of live animal transport and the revision of elements in the transport regulation that currently hinder its proper enforcement:
"If member states systematically fail to ensure the correct implementation of EU legislation, the Commission can take infringement proceedings. I have made a commitment that the Commission would consider the possibility, before the end of this mandate, to review certain elements of the current Regulation that make its proper enforcement difficult and are not in line with scientific advice, like travel times and space allowances."

"The Commission is aware that long distance transport of animals for commercial purposes may cause serious suffering to animals. I am appalled by the images of such suffering that have been brought to my attention", Mrs. Vassiliou said.

Outrage over live plucking of geese

12 February 2009

Eurogroup members were shocked to learn that Hungarian geese farmers are still resorting to the feather plucking of live geese.
The matter was brought to light by the Kalla Fakta programme aired by the Swedish broadcaster TV4. The documentary shows the birds being plucked alive whilst trying to escape the grasp of farm workers.

Following the original broadcast and the outrage it has caused among the Scandinavian public and animal welfare organisations alike, many other European television stations have decided to broadcast the programme.

Eurogroup members including Dyrenes Beskyttelse (Denmark), Djurskyddet Sverige (Sweden) and the Finnish organisation SEY have all taken action to attempt to stop these practices and to raise awareness among consumers about products that contain goose down.

Following the uproar Swedish home improvement retail chain IKEA has issued a statement that it is very concerned about this issue and that it has launched an investigation into the geese farms it commissions to produce its products.

The plucking of live birds is prohibited in Hungary (and indeed in most EU member countries; with the exception of Estonia, Romania and Slovakia) under the Council of Europe recommendations concerning domestic geese.

Click read more to view the documentary online [in Swedish; link may expire]

4 February 2009

The EU commissioner on agriculture and rural development has spoken out about the EU's ongoing discussions on the issue of the cloning of animals for food production and urges the European Union to take immediate action.

Mariann Fischer Boel has addressed the issue of cloning on her personal blog, where she seconded Eurogroup for Animals' call for the EU not to dismiss clear signals given by scientists and consumers to ban the cloning of animals for food.

Fischer Boel writes: "I do not want to go back to the dark days of the "mad cow" crisis. There is no lack of quality meat and prices are affordable. Allowing cloning would only benefit a handful of companies while it could undermine consumer confidence in farmers and food producers. It is not about protecting European farmers' market shares; it's merely about being reasonable, especially in view of public opinion."

The commissioner does, however, not advocate a complete ban on cloning as she condones the practice of cloning to ensure the survival of certain animal species or in the field of medical research.

28 January 2009

The Italian and Brazilian authorities and meat industry of are currently in the midst of negotiating the matter of the transport of live cattle from the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina to northern Italy. Transporting animals to that destination would entail a journey by sea that would take at least 17 days.

Eurogroup for Animals and its Italian member Lega Anti Vivisezione are appalled by these plans and are planning to contact the European Commission and the Italian ministry to protest against these shipments.

Eurogroup for Animals director Sonja Van Tichelen pointed out: "This is a clear example of unnecessary lengthy transport which we would like to see halted in the future. The EU transport rules state that 'long journeys should be limited as far as possible' and 'long journeys are likely to have more detrimental effects on the welfare of animals than short ones', but these arguments are rarely considered.

"As many as 15,000 to 100,000 animals are expected to embark on this long journey in the near future. If Italian consumers insist on having Brazilian meat, we suggest that they transport the meat instead of live animals."
It is hoped that this barbaric trade will soon be halted as the European Commission is due to finalise its proposal on the limiting of journey times before the summer.

22 January 2009

An international conference has called for collaboration on animal welfare to meet the challenges of climate change, increasing food demand, and the need to remain competitive in a global marketplace.

The Conference on Global Trade and Farm Animal Welfare took place in Brussels on 20 and 21 January, during which it was concluded that adopting higher welfare farming methods would bring benefits to the farmer, consumer, environment, and developed and developing countries alike. This could be facilitated by sharing best practice and assisting developing countries with their farming.

19 January 2009

A Brussels conference will this week show what trade opportunities higher standards for animal welfare have to offer. On 20 and 21 January the Conference on Global Trade and Farm Animal Welfare will bring together anyone from farmers, retailers, politicians, academics, international institutions and animal welfare organisations to present positive experiences of inclusion of animal welfare in the trade environment. This event, which follows a successful forum held in Brussels last April, is being organised by the Directorate-General for External Trade and the Directorate-General for Health and Consumers of the European Commission, together with Eurogroup for Animals, Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Compassion in World Farming, and World Society for the Protection of Animals.

15 January 2009

MEPs urged the Commission to ensure the rules on protection of animals in transport are properly enforced during an oral question in the European Parliament today. Many of the speakers spoke about the necessity to give this due attention as a civilised society should treat animals properly. In addition to raising doubts about how rules were being adhered to, some MEPs recalled the need for limiting journey times as the only way to ensure animal welfare.

Apart from criticising member states, MEPs also asked the Commission to increase the number of controls by the Food and Veterinary Ovffice as well as coming forward with the much awaited new Commission proposal on limiting journey times and stocking densities.

14 January 09

Eurogroup for Animals, which represents animal welfare organisations from all over Europe, will be filing a complaint of maladministration against the European Commission with the European Ombudsman. By delaying action on the cloning of animals for food, the Commission has failed to respect the EU directive for the protection of farm animals, which states that reproduction techniques which cause animals to suffer cannot be used. Commissioners decided yesterday in Strasbourg to once again put off submitting a proposal, claiming more scientific answers were needed as well as a debate with international trading partners. Eurogroup for Animals is appalled by this wait-and-see approach as all the scientific evidence clearly demonstrates that cloning is harmful for the animals.

Eurogroup director Sonja Van Tichelen said: "We are shocked that the Commission is disrespecting its own rules because it values trade relations over the welfare of animals and the wishes of consumers. The Commission has let down animals and people by failing to propose a ban on the cloning of animals for food. The wasteful practice has been shown to cause animals to suffer at every stage, yet the Commission has chosen to ignore all the scientific evidence, the majority of Europeans who are against it, as well as the advice of the EU's own institutions.

"Eurogroup will be calling on member states to apply the directive for the protection of farm animals and introduce national bans if the Commission continues to do nothing."

8 January 09

Canada has tweaked its seal hunt rules in an attempt to mask the inherent cruelty of it and avoid being hit by an EU ban on seal products. The European Commission proposed last July a ban on the trade and import of seal products except for those countries that could prove their seals had been killed "humanely". Canada has now made minor changes to its regulations for the annual seal hunt, such as a ban on the use of the hakapik on seals older than one year, which would affect only less than one percent of the seals killed.

Sonja Van Tichelen, director of Eurogroup for Animals, said: "These adjustments will not fool anyone. The hunt will remain as cruel as it has ever been. It is impossible to ensure each seal is killed humanely as the hunt takes place over a vast area in difficult circumstances. The EU should go ahead with a ban and not have any exemptions for seals that were 'supposedly' killed humanely."

23 December 08

2009 already promises to be a great year for animals with an EU ban on the trade in cat and dog fur coming into force in January. Eurogroup members campaigned for the ban after discovering many manufacturers used pelts from cats and dogs for clothing and toys without labelling them as such.

Eurogroup hopes that the new year will also bring many other improvements for animals such as an EU trade ban on seal products and a ban on products from cloned animals. It also wishes there will be progress on legislative proposals to protect the welfare of animals at the time of slaughter and animals used in research and that there will be new legislation proposed to protect live animals being transported.

To help achieve this Eurogroup will continue to work on behalf of the millions of animals throughout Europe in 2009 and beyond.

16 December 08

A lorry driver who caused animals to suffer and die during transport has been given an eight month prison sentence. The Dutchman was found guilty by an Italian court due to exceeding the permitted loading density and journey time, exposing the animals to excessive temperatures, an for failing to provide rest and water for the animals. The case was brought by Animals’ Angels and Eurogroup member Lega Antivivisezione (LAV).

Animals’ Angels investigators alerted the police when they observed the vehicle in Italy in July 2005. When the vehicle was stopped, dead and dying pigs were discovered on top of each other. Blood was running down the walls, while some of the pigs had started to cannibalise the others.

Animals’ Angels and LAV will now also be pursuing the transport company after the judge recognised both parties as civil parties, which gives them the right to seek compensation for damages.

Eurogroup director Sonja Van Tichelen said: “It is great that the judge recognised the severity of the offences and landed the driver with an eight-month prison sentence. Pigs are sentient beings capable of suffering the same way as humans.

“This case again highlights the need for stricter enforcement. EU member states should do all they can to check companies follow legislation to protect the welfare of animals during transport.”

11 December 08

Serious welfare problems at German slaughterhouses have been exposed in a film produced by director Manfred Karremann and Eurogroup member Deutscher Tierschutzbund. The shocking images broadcast at German national television show how slaughterhouses in the country still fail to minimise the suffering of the animals involved. It can still happen that cows or pigs are slaughtered without any stunning.

The European Commission proposed in September 2008 new legislation to improve the welfare of animals at the time of slaughter.

Eurogroup director Sonja Van Tichelen said: “If these difficulties already exist in a country such as Germany, you can only imagine what problems persist in the rest of the EU. It shows once again that urgent action is needed.

“The EU should approve the new legislation regarding slaughter as soon as possible as this is something that affects millions of animals each day.”

9 December 08

Eurogroup for Animals has lodged a formal complaint with the European Commission in protest of the poor conditions animals are being kept in at Portuguese zoos. Under European legislation Portugal was obligated to have inspected and licensed all its zoos by April 2005 at the latest. Nearly four years later, 20% of Portuguese zoos are still unlicensed and thus operating illegally. Some of the zoos that are licensed do not respect legal requirements. An investigation by Eurogroup has uncovered many shortcomings that put both the animals and the public at risk.

Problems found at Portuguese zoos vary from barren enclosures, to highly social animals being housed in isolation, and animals of different species being kept together inappropriately. Some animals have been seen to mutilate themselves and behave aggressively towards other animals.

In addition safety and security risks were identified for animals and visitors alike. Many animals are kept in enclosures that could easily be opened by the public. In one case a lemur monkey was found to be outside the enclosure as it was able to pass through the mesh.

5 December 08

Authorities are urged to ensure ritual slaughter during the feast of Eid al-Adha will only take place in licensed slaughter houses. On December 8 Muslims commemorate Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to God and as part of the festivities sheep are slaughtered.

Eurogroup for Animals calls on authorities to check for any illegal home slaughter which could cause animals to suffer needlessly. Under European legislation sheep slaughter without stunning is only allowed to take place in licensed slaughterhouses by professionals. Eurogroup members will be monitoring the situation in the various member states.

Director Sonja Van Tichelen said: "Slaughter should only be done by trained professionals in licensed slaughterhouses to help minimise the suffering of the animals. We would ask everyone to do all they can to make this happen."

28 November 08

Welfare problems with the farming of European sea bass and gilthead sea bream have been identified in a newly published report by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The risk assessment outcomes showed there could be problems with handling and with poorly formulated feed and poor storage. Also there was a lack of available authorised anaesthetics for use in broodstock.

The EFSA report stated that management practices should be implemented to minimise disturbance to the fish. An important hazard is diseases spreading.

Although fish farming is increasingly becoming more popular in Europe, there are still no legal standards for it. Currently EFSA is working on scientific opinions on the animal welfare aspects of husbandry systems for various fish.

20 November 08

EU agriculture ministers have agreed to move more money from direct payments to rural development, which could benefit practices such as organic farming. The spending increase is part of a political agreement on the health check of the EU's common agricultural policy. The extra funds will have to be used to fund ways to tackle new challenges, including measures to fight climate change. This could include measures that will benefit animal welfare at the same time, such as extensive free range and organic farming.

Eurogroup for Animals welcomes the increase in rural development spending, but regrets agriculture ministers did not adopt the higher figures proposed by the Commission.

13 November 08

The European Commission has launched an internet game designed to teach children more about farm animals and the conditions that are needed to secure their welfare.

Farmland, the name of the game, introduces children to a virtual farm where they are needed to build an animal-welfare friendly environment, feed the animals and take care of their general well-being. The website was launched within the scheme of the European Vet Week (10-16 November 2008) and is available in nine languages (English, French, German, Greek, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Polish and Swedish).

EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou stressed the importance of offering this type of tools to Europe's children: "Information and communication play an important role in helping us to understand the value of animals in our society. We have a duty to inform our children about the origin and production ojf food and to raise awareness about animals and how they should be handled and treated. With 'Farmland' we believe we achieve these objectives in a way that is also interesting and entertaining for our children."

10 November 08

A conference showing the benefits higher standards for animal welfare have to offer to international trade will take place in Brussels on 20 and 21 January 2009. The Conference on Global Trade and Farm Animal Welfare will bring together anyone from farmers, retailers, politicians, academics, international institutions and animal welfare organisations to present positive experiences of inclusion of animal welfare in the trade environment.

This event, which follows a forum held in Brussels last April, is being organised by the Directorate-General for External Trade and the Directorate-General for Health and Consumers of the European Commission, together with Eurogroup for Animals, Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Compassion in World Farming, and World Society for the Protection of Animals.

5 November 08

Eurogroup for Animals calls on the European Parliament and the Council to take up discussions of the long-awaited proposal for a new directive on animal experimentation announced today as a matter of priority. If the new proposal is not discussed in Parliament by the time of the next European elections in June 2009, the legislation risks being significantly delayed.

Eurogroup director Sonja Van Tichelen said: “Every day this new legislation is not enacted, thousands more animals will suffer. This new proposal has been eagerly awaited for years and any further delay would be simply unacceptable.”

The Commission, which published the proposal today, has been working on the revision of directive 86/609/EEC since 2002 and its publication was delayed several times this year. With existing legislation dating from 1986 it is high time to consider new scientific developments as well as the ever growing concern of EU citizens about animal testing. In a public consultation, 93% of respondents said more needs to be done to improve the level of welfare/protection of animals used in experiments by action at EU level.

21 October 08

Eurogroup is calling for stricter controls on live animal transport after further evidence emerged of widespread welfare problems. The EU's Food and Veterinary Office has published two reports criticising transport live transport in Italy and Germany. The FVO report for Italy said the procedures for enforcing EU regulations in some regions are still "generally insufficient" and that there was a substantial number of cases where not enough was done to prevent unnecessary suffering during transport. The report on Germany only checked Lower Saxony but discovered there was a lack of control by the veterinary authorities of journey logs and the checking of the competence or training of staff.

Meanwhile the number of violations during animal transport in the Netherlands doubled during the first part of this year compared to the same period last year. This has been attributed to a significant increase in the number of inspections.

Director Sonja Van Tichelen commented: "It is clear that a better control system is urgently needed to guarantee the welfare of animals during transport. It is unacceptable that so many of them should suffer when so much of it can be prevented. Controls should be toughened up to ensure companies will not be able to get away with this.

"We call on the Commission and members states to introduce a satellite navigation system which would allow authorities to follow the trucks in real time without even leaving their office. The technology exists and is accepted in other sectors of industry."

15 October 08

Candidates for next year's European elections are being asked to include objectives for animal welfare in their policy programme for the 2009-14 Parliament. Eurogroup for Animals has produced a manifesto with five clear objectives to improve the lives of animals in Europe. It is urging each political group to include it in its 2009 election programme. The objectives are to improve farm animal welfare, reduce animal experiments, protect pets, conserve and respect wildlife, and to implement and enforce legislation.

Sonja Van Tichelen, director of Eurogroup for Animals, said: "Voters care deeply about what happens to animals, so they will want to know what Members of Parliament will do to protect them. In many cases it could be the deciding factor when they cast their vote. We urge politicians to take up the challenge and lead on animal welfare issues."

9 October 08

Nearly six out of ten people in Europe (58%) feel that animal cloning for food production should never be justified, according to a Eurobarometer survey published today. In addition, 43% said they were "not at all likely" to buy food from cloned animals while 41% said they would not consider products from the offspring of cloned animals.

The survey was commissioned by the European Commission to help it decide whether it should approve the controversial practice within the EU.

Eurogroup for Animals has welcomed the survey and urges the Commission to propose a ban on animal cloning for food, which is a wasteful practice that causes animals to suffer at every stage. This should also include a ban on the import and marketing of products derived from it.

30 September 08

A coalition of leading international animal welfare organisations, including Eurogroup for Animals, has called on the UN's Food & Agriculture Organisation (UN FAO) to place the welfare of animals on its agenda for the first time.

The call comes as a panel of international experts, appointed by the FAO's Animal Production and Health Division, begins discussions at the first ever 'Expert Meeting On Capacity Building To Implement Good Animal Welfare Practices' in Rome (30 Sept - 3 Oct).

The coalition of animal welfare organisations has issued a set of 10 recommendations for the UN FAO to include animal welfare considerations in all its actions. Improving the health and welfare of animals would bring considerable benefits to farmers and their families, especially in developing nations, help protect the environment, support trade, ensure effective preparation for and recovery from disasters, as well as address the growing global demand for higher welfare practices and production systems.