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EU ANIMAL WELFARE ACTION PLAN

: : About the issue

The Community Action Plan on the Protection and Welfare of Animals is the first EU long term strategy to improve the protection of animals. It sets out a timetable for new legislation and includes other mechanism that will promote animal welfare over the period 2006-2010. It helps to ensure that on EU level animal protection is integrated in other policy areas such as research, farming, consumer information and wildlife protection.

As the term for the first Animal Welfare Action Plan is slowly reaching its end, Eurogroup is looking forward to the introduction of a second Action Plan.

The First Action Plan includes a variety of objectives such as:

	developing the market for high animal welfare goods
	applying principles of replacement, reduction and refinement to experiments involving animals
	training and information for citizens, animal keepers/handlers, officials and consumers
	reviewing the effectiveness of existing laws
	and extending legal protection to some species which currently have none.

The responsibility for implementing the plan lies with the entire European Community. Within the Commission, it involves the work of the Directorate Generals for Agriculture, Health and Consumer Protection, Trade, Enterprise, Environment and Research.

: : What is the current situation?

Recent initiatives by the European Commission involve reducing the suffering of animals used in testing. This is being achieved through partnership with the industry; by increasing the number of non-animal test alternatives and by revising legal protection for animals used in science.

: : What is Eurogroup's position?

Eurogroup has welcomed the action plan as it raises the awareness of animal protection in the EU and abroad and provides for coherence in future Community initiatives on animal protection or related policies.

However Eurogroup feels that some important issues have not been addressed in the First Action plan:

	More funding should be made available under the EU Common Agriculture policy to change to a more sustainable anima welfare friendly livestock production.
	Animal welfare considerations should be included the EU trade policy, in WTO discussions and bilateral agreements.
	Legislation on fish farming needs to be introduced.
	Legislation on breeding of animals is necessary to counter the negative health and welfare effects of present breeding programmes aimed primarily at increasing profit.
	A higher priority needs to be put on enforcement.
	An early review of live animal transport regulations, including proposal on limiting journey times should be done.
	A procedure for monitoring the action plan, the delivery of its objectives and its effectiveness needs to be put in place.
	More resources needs to be made available in the Commission to allow for the implementation of the plan.

Last updated: December 11, 2009

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

European Union

Community Action Plan
(Jan. 06)

Annexes to the Action Plan:
Commission Working Document
Impact assessment

Presidency conclusions
(Jun. 06)

European Parliament Report (Oct. 06)

Eurogroup documents

Briefing on the Animal Welfare Centre (November 08)

Parliamentary Brief (May 06)