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Displaying 1 - 24 of 28 Publications

#SaveStripes: Recommendations for EU-Vietnam cooperation on Tigers

Trade & Animal Welfare
Policy Briefing

EU-Vietnam collaboration holds the key to combatting the dire threats facing tigers. A shared initiative with FOUR PAWS, this policy briefing serves as a rallying call for urgent action to address the rampant tiger trade and improve the welfare of captive tigers.

Stop cruel imports! Applying EU animal welfare standards to all products placed on the EU market

Trade & Animal Welfare
Policy Briefing

According to the most recent Eurobarometer on animal welfare, 93% of European citizens want imported animal products to respect the same animal welfare standards as those applied in the European Union (EU). EU citizens do not want their consumption to fuel inhumane and unsustainable models of production beyond the EU’s borders. This report describes, for each key species, the impact that imposing animal welfare import requirements could have on source countries. To do so, it looks at the share that the EU market represents for top source countries - from an amount and a value perspective - and compares animal welfare standards with those applied in the EU. As exporters are often large multinational companies, it also identifies the commitments these companies have already adopted in the field of animal welfare, often beyond the legislative requirements where they are based.

Symbiotic Guardians: At the intersection of animal welfare, human rights and the environment

Trade & Animal Welfare
Policy Briefing

In February 2022 the European Commission published its proposal for a Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence. This directive shall require from EU companies, as well as certain non-EU companies operating in the EU, to address human rights and environmental issues in their value chains through mandatory due diligence for human rights, environmental, and climate-change concerns.

This legislative proposal is an opportunity for the EU and its Member States to address animal welfare throughout international supply chains. By including animal welfare in the due diligence efforts imposed on companies, the EU and its Member States would better contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the legislation. Indeed, improving animal welfare throughout the value chain would benefit the right to health by reducing the risk of food-borne diseases and zoonoses and by allowing to lessen the use of antibiotics in livestock farming, one of the key triggers of the current surge in antimicrobial resistance. It would also provide leverage to fight human rights violations in the animal agriculture industry.

Animal Welfare in the EU-Australia FTA

Trade & Animal Welfare
Factsheet

The EU and Australia are nearing the end of negotiations for a free trade agreement, with both sides expecting talks to conclude this summer. It is therefore critical that the partners take the opportunity of these final stages to achieve ambitious provisions on animal welfare in the agreement, including the recommendations outlined in this EU-Australia factsheet

Analysis of animal welfare standards for animal products imported to the EU

Trade & Animal Welfare
Policy Briefing

Applying EU animal welfare standards to imported animal products would consistently offer to EU consumers the type of products they ethically feel more comfortable with, and would ensure that European consumption does not fuel inhumane and unsustainable models of production beyond the EU’s borders. The revision of the EU’s animal welfare legislation is a unique opportunity for the EU to lead the global transition towards sustainable food systems. The animal welfare requirements that are mostly considered are the following: ban of cages, stocking density and space allowance, mutilations, enrichment, and male chick culling.

This document reviews the animal welfare standards in the top countries exporting animal products to the EU. It also reviews the standards in countries with which the EU is negotiating a trade agreement (FTA), as these are likely to export increased quantities of animal-based products to the EU in future, and including animal welfare based conditions in trade agreements is an exception.

Briefing: Vietnam. Animal welfare in the implementation of the EU-Vietnam FTA

Trade & Animal Welfare
Report

This report examines what is at stake for animals in EU-Vietnam trade relations, calling for the Parties to make full use of EVFTA’s provisions on animal welfare cooperation and on Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) to improve the lives of millions of animals. It first looks at the evolution of the trade in animal products between the partners, as well as at animal welfare legislation in Vietnam. It then presents the sectors that should become priorities for EU-Vietnam cooperation on animal welfare, as well as key animal issues that should be addressed under the TSD chapter.

Raising the issue of tiger trade within the Domestic Advisory Group on EU-Vietnam FTA

Trade & Animal Welfare
Policy Briefing

Although the domestic and international trade in wild tigers for commercial purposes is prohibited in Vietnam, the trade remains highly active due to weak law enforcement and the demand for tiger parts in Vietnam and China. The prominence of illegal trafficking in Vietnam means EU-bred tigers exported to Vietnam are at high risk of being trafficked or killed for their parts. The export of these tigers also encourages the trade in captive-bred tigers (introduced in Vietnam to relieve pressure on the wild population) and, by encouraging the consumption of tiger parts, continues to threaten wild tiger populations. This note invites the EU Domestic Advisory Group (EU DAG) set up under the EU-Vietnam free trade agreement (EVFTA) to examine the tiger trade in Vietnam in light of Article 13.7.3 (d) and (e) of the Trade & Sustainable Development (TSD) chapter, which commits the parties to implement appropriate effective measures to reduce wildlife trafficking.

Planting the Animal Welfare seed in the EU-India Trade Relations

Trade & Animal Welfare
Brochure

In May 2021, the EU and India announced the relaunch of negotiations for a free trade agreement. The possibility of such an agreement has been discussed for almost 15 years, but the inclusion of provisions on trade and sustainable development (TSD) has remained a key stumbling block. The first round of
negotiations should take place in June 2022.

Eurogroup for Animals and the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) call for the EU-India trade talks to include a strong animal welfare dimension when they restart, and on the EU and India to use existing political channels to set up cooperation on animal welfare in the meantime.

Trade in animal products fuels deforestation

Trade & Animal Welfare
Policy Briefing

On 17 November 2021, the European Commission put forward a legislative proposal on deforestation-free products. The proposed regulation would introduce specific due diligence requirements for companies placing certain products on the EU market - such as palm oil, wood, cocoa, coffee, beef, leather, and soy - that contribute to the destruction of forests.

The proposal could be a game changer for farm animals and for wild animals as it would be a powerful incentive for producers intending to export to the EU to switch to sustainable production systems, avoiding intensive agricultural systems which are not only detrimental to farm animals but also fuels deforestation, thereby destroying wild animals’ habitats.

However, as it stands, the proposal ignores the role played by the livestock industry beyond beef - especially the poultry, pig, dairy and farmed fish production industries - in the destruction of ecosystems such as forests, savannahs and wetlands. The proposal falls short to meet the objective of stopping deforestation driven by the EU’s consumption of animal products.

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Bye Bye Cages

Trade & Animal Welfare
Report

This legal opinion has been commissioned by Compassion in World Farming and Eurogroup for Animals from Clémentine Baldon, lawyer at the Paris Bar, in the context of the discussions surrounding the follow up that will be given by the European Commission to the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) “End the Cage Age”.

The main conclusion is that a prohibition on the placing on the EU market of meat and eggs produced from caged animals, regardless of their origin, is likely to be found compatible with WTO rules.

This analysis looks into all stages of the tests that the measure would go through, if challenged by other WTO partners.

Animal welfare in the implementation of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement

Trade & Animal Welfare
Position Paper

The report describes the areas that would be the more promising for EU-Japan animal welfare cooperation either because of the EU imports (cattle, hens and pigs), or because the sectors are key in Japan and therefore any improvement to animal welfare could have a significant impact on animals and on the sustainability of food productions (laying hens and broiler chickens), and lastly because the EU exports live animals who end up being farmed in these sectors in Japan (horses).

The sustainability of EU investments in the Chinese livestock sector - The role of Animal Welfare

Trade & Animal Welfare
Report

Although European investors have had a presence in China’s livestock industry, to varying degrees, for decades, in recent years barriers to entry have begun to fall. The Chinese government intends to expand domestic production and reduce dependency on imports and has made it easier for foreign companies to invest. The new Chinese legislation on foreign investment (FIL) has encouraged a fresh wave of investment from European banks, finance companies and sovereign wealth funds. In 2020 the EU and China also concluded a Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI), although the ratification of the Agreement is currently on hold.

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Briefing: Chile. Animal Protection in EU Trade Negotiations

Trade & Animal Welfare
Report

This report will examine what is at stake for animals in the EU-Chile trade negotiations, calling for the talks to include a strong animal welfare dimension. We look at the state of play of livestock production in Chile, of trade flows in animal products between both partners, as well as describing existing Chilean animal welfare legislation. We focus on key sectors where the EU has good reasons to strive to establish animal welfare cooperation and apply conditional liberalisation with Chile – either because the EU imports some of these products or because Chile is a key global producer.

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Briefnote: Why the time is right for Europe and China to act for animals

Trade & Animal Welfare
Brochure

Over the past years, China’s political leadership has shown more openness to discussing animal welfare issues. The creation in 2013 of the International Cooperation Committee of Animal Welfare (ICCAW), a government backed non-profit organisation dedicated to ‘promoting animal welfare concepts, implementing animal welfare friendly farming systems and improving the quality and safety of livestock products’, was a first important step.

Including Animal Welfare in EU Due Diligence

Trade & Animal Welfare
Policy Briefing

Eurogroup for Animals welcomes the forthcoming EU initiative aiming at further embedding sustainability into corporate governance, which may lead to the adoption of legislation establishing an EU-wide due diligence mechanism. In that context, Eurogroup for Animals strongly believes that the concept of due diligence currently developed at the EU level should encompass animal welfare.

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Animal Welfare in the implementation of the EU-Ukraine DCFTA

Trade & Animal Welfare
Policy Briefing

This briefing presents the evolution of the trade in animal products between both partners since the entry into force of the DCFTA, as well as the state of play in terms of animal welfare in Ukraine. It then explains why the EU should immediately address the impact the DCFTA has had on animal welfare, thus making the case for the EU to reject any additional market access for Ukrainian animal products until Ukraine implements EU-equivalent animal welfare standards.

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 Welfare of Cattle Finished on Feedlots

Trade & Animal Welfare
Policy Briefing

Following these developments and the increasing use of feedlots to produce beef, even in Europe, it
has become essential to clarify the very detrimental impact of this method of production on cattle welfare.
This briefing illustrates the harmful effects on animal health and welfare of common industry practices when
finishing cattle on feedlots.

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.

The Benefits of Addressing Animal Welfare in Trade Policy

Trade & Animal Welfare
Opinion

The COVID-19 crisis has painfully put the spotlight on the detrimental impact of economic and trade policies that prioritise profits above all. Now is our chance to profoundly rethink EU trade policy. Eurogroup for Animals believes the EU has the tools to develop - and implement - a trade policy fir for the 21st century, adapted to face all the challenges of our times, such as the spread of zoonoses, climate change and antimicrobial resistance. As animal welfare is closely linked to these challenges, part of the solution is to better address the impact of EU trade policy on animal welfare, as one dimension of sustainable development.

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Briefing: Mercosur. Animal Protection in EU Trade Negotiations

Trade & Animal Welfare
Position Paper

Eurogroup for Animals believes that the EU-Mercosur agreement, as it stands now, is a bad deal for animals,
nature and people. The negative impact it could have will be concrete and immediate, while the
possibilities for cooperation that could be opened by the text are uncertain and may only deliver in the long run, if at all. In addition, such cooperation could take place outside a trade agreement.

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.

The detrimental impact of the absence of animal welfare provisions in Euro-Med FTAs

Trade & Animal Welfare
Policy Briefing

This briefing summarises Eurogroup for Animals’ contribution to the consultation launched by the European Commission on the evaluation of six Euro-Med FTAs. Eurogroup for Animals calls on the EU to include provisions on animal welfare cooperation in all upgraded Euro-Med FTAs and to cooperate with DG SANTE to ensure sufficient resources are dedicated to this work aimed at lifting living and slaughtering standards for millions of animals, not only those exported from the EU but also the ones raised in Euro-Med countries their entire life. The EU should establish a roadmap on this cooperation with each Euro-Med countries, providing clear steps and direction for this work. This roadmap should envisage the transition towards a trade in meat and carcasses.