In the European Union, Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 applies to the transport of animals that takes place within and from the EU in connection with an economic activity. A vast range of animal species are transported within the EU and beyond for commercial activities, but the Transport Regulation does not guarantee effective protection to all of them. The majority of its provisions refer only to the welfare of certain terrestrial farmed animal species: the requirements for the transport of fish, companion animals and equines are less developed; and measures to ensure the welfare of a large group of species transported for scientific purposes are completely absent.

This white paper is Eurogroup for Animals’ response to the European Commission’s stated aims in revising the Transport Regulation: “to align it with the latest scientific evidence, broaden its scope, make it easier to enforce and ultimately ensure a higher level of animal welfare”. As a general principle, the revised Transport Regulation should adhere to the basic principles of reducing, refining and replacing live transport, whenever applicable.

Originally published in 2021, this white paper received an update in 2024 to factor in recent European Food Safety Authority opinions on live transport, the results of the 2023 special Eurobarometer on animal welfare and more.

This updated version also includes a critical analysis of the European Commission’s recent proposal for a revised regulation on the protection of animals during transport and related operations.

In 2016, the World Organisation for Animal Health stated that 101 out of 116 surveyed countries had reported having major animal disease outbreaks since the year 2000. Over 350 outbreaks were reported, with over a quarter being avian influenza.

This report is an analysis of scientific studies and reports on the impacts of avian influenza and other notable zoonoses on society. It explores the link between low animal welfare standards and public health - highlighting how the financial and societal impacts of these outbreaks should not be ignored - and outlines the steps that need to be taken to prevent the ongoing infectious disease crisis affecting both animals and humans.

This White Paper details part of Eurogroup for Animals’ response to the outdated animal welfare legislation, which includes the Council Regulation 1099/2009 (Slaughter Regulation). The Slaughter Regulation entered into force in 2013 and, already at that time, the co-legislators stressed that, as scientific and technical progress is regularly made with regard to the construction, layout, and equipment of slaughterhouses, and with regard to the handling and restraining of animals, it was important to authorise the European Commission to amend the requirements applicable in these regards.

Eurogroup for Animals believes that a comprehensive approach is needed to ensure that the equipment used and procedures followed in slaughterhouses do not cause unnecessary fear, pain and distress to farmed animals.

A cache of unpublished records obtained in summer 2023 reveals disturbing new evidence on the extent and nature of the EU’s trade in farm animals.

The data comprises official planning records relating to more than 180,000 consignments of animals, moving between EU countries and to non-EU countries between October 2021 – April 2023. It clearly shows that the rules for live transport are not robust or detailed enough to truly protect the welfare of animals in the sector.

A joint report by Eurogroup for Animals and Compassion in World Farming.

This scientific declaration contains signatures from scientists and academics across various fields who consider that the available body of evidence regarding insect biology, sentience, and welfare is sufficiently strong for policymakers and insect producers to regulate and implement evidence-based welfare measures.

As of November 2023, ten species of insect are currently authorised (or are pending authorisation) to be farmed in Europe. While the insect farming industry is rapidly developing and is already rearing insects by the billions, clear rules on their welfare are still missing due to lack of research and interest from policymakers.

This report explores one critical welfare consideration that is currently being overlooked: the diets of farmed insects. It describes what each species is being fed on insect factory farms in the EU, and offers recommendations for improvement. Ultimately, through positive diet change, this research aims to improve farmed insects' quality of life in a rapidly-expanding sector that shows no sign of slowing down.

Foreword by Eurogroup for Animals. Report by Dr. Helen Lambert and Dr. Amelia Cornish.

Eurogroup for Animals commissioned Human Behaviour Change for Life (HBCL) to write this report: ‘Business case: the benefits of a carcass over a live animal trade’.

This document considers the business case for a change to the export of carcass meat instead of live animals from the European Union (EU) to third countries. It includes the current economic, environmental, and societal challenges and opportunities that these different approaches present.

The research provides a unique insight into the costs of the trade through the development and use of innovative modelling, frameworks, case studies and evidence-based approaches. It enables the consideration of how a move from live animal export towards a meat and carcass trade could be advantageous for the agricultural sector, the environment, and wider society.

In this Position Paper, we explain how we’d like the EU to address the issue of day-old poultry culling, which namely affects ducklings and male chicks in the farming sector.

A new report by the 'Put Change on the Menu' coalition (Eurogroup for Animals, the European Public Health Alliance and the European Consumer Organisation).

There's growing evidence that our food choices are shaped by the ‘food environments’ we navigate in.* Most people, however, do not realise the extent to which our eating habits are steered by powerful influences in our everyday lives, from the food ads that are pushed in front of us to the 'promos' and discounts on offer at our local supermarkets.

Unfortunately, today’s food environments largely steer us towards diets which are not in-line with healthy eating recommendations, high animal welfare standards, or the European Commission's vision for sustainable food and farming.

This report takes a look at the critical role of food environments in encouraging citizens to shift to healthy, more plant-based diets with ‘less and better’ animal source foods, and argues why these environments should be a critical consideration when the Commission works on its Framework for Sustainable Food Systems legislation this autumn (2023). It was launched at an event on July 28 - watch the recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Jrtx_mbUk8

* Food environments are the “physical, economic, political and socio-cultural context in which consumers engage with the food system to make their decisions about acquiring, preparing and consuming food”. (Source: HLPE ‘Nutrition and food systems’ report)

Report by the Impact Institute, commissioned by Eurogroup for Animals - now with a new annex (updated September 2023).

Domesticated animals play a major role in human agricultural and food systems, both historically and today. The continuous growth in global wealth, as well as increased efficiency and industrialisation of animal sourced food production, has created both unprecedented quantities of, and access to, animal sourced food.

In view of these developments, Eurogroup for Animals commissioned an investigation into the true
costs of EU animal sourced food production and consumption. This report discusses the assessment of the EU’s production and consumption of animal sourced food. It evaluates the extent of external costs to human health, the environment, low animal welfare and human livelihood brought about by producing and consuming animal sourced food.

Moreover, the report discusses recommendations to address the externalities of the industrial animal food industry. This work can be used to inform policy and decision-making processes regarding the new EU animal welfare legislation.

Though the EU recognises farmed animals as sentient beings, the current animal welfare legislation does not take into account their innate needs and natures. In fact, loopholes and oversights in the laws that were written to protect them mean these poor beings are often mistreated and neglected by those that are meant to care for them, as well as housed in miserable environments, fed poor diets, and slaughtered inhumanely after experiencing lives full of stress, frustration and anxiety.

This cannot continue. When the European Commission revises the animal welfare legislation later this year, they must include strong, precise, and species-specific rules that support and protect the mental, emotional and physical state of all farm animals. This report covers five species and issues that particularly need the Commission's attention.

This report was created in-line with this exposé video, which features undercover footage from our MOs of the issues it explores (https://youtu.be/1LqIK_JVadg).

With over 330 companies (1) committed to the European Chicken Commitment (2), and a 38% increase since 2021, the evolution of broiler production towards higher welfare farming is clear. European citizens are driving this change, expressing their support for improving welfare standards (3).

To assess the costs of this transition, we commissioned a study from Wageningen University comparing the costs of conventional and ECC-aligned production in six EU Member States - the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany and France. The study shows that the costs vary between countries, and are about 18-19% higher on average. Of course, this comes as no surprise, as currently the prices of animal products are lowered by insufficient investments in their welfare. However, the increase in costs can be offset by financial support at national and EU level for higher welfare farming practices. It is indispensable to provide a financial incentive for farmers to drive this crucial change towards improved welfare standards. Retailers also play an important role in providing a fair price for the welfare-friendly products that farmers supply them with.

The transition to better welfare standards is a crucial step towards a brighter future for animals, and is in line with the goals of the Farm to Fork strategy (4). It is high time the EU follows the voice of EU citizens and incorporates higher welfare standards for broiler chickens in the revised animal welfare legislation.

(1) The Humane League, 'STATE OF THE CHICKEN INDUSTRY': http://bit.ly/3n6DtFZ
(2) The European Chicken Commitment: http://bit.ly/40lKuB1
(3) Eurobarometer, 'Attitudes of Europeans towards Animal Welfare': http://bit.ly/3Z1LGZu
(4) European Commission, 'Farm to Fork strategy': http://bit.ly/3yX5Jxz

Many producers, retailers and food manufacturers across the EU have already embraced society’s call to ‘End the Cage Age’. This report summarises numerous interviews with stakeholders involved in all different stages of the supply chain, focusing on shifting to non-cage systems for sows, rabbits, and laying hens. Contains case studies, scientific evidence, data and recommendations for a smooth and swift cage-free transition.

Since 2017, European industry has started significantly scaling up the industrial farming of new animals, including several species of insects. It aims to rear trillions of insects annually, which would make them the most industrially-farmed animals in Europe. This report takes a look at how this type of farming could impact the wellbeing of insects, as well as how this new source of animal feed could have a knock-on effect on the livestock farming sector, along with the sustainability of Europe’s food systems.

In this Position Paper, we explain how we’d like the food and farming sectors to have evolved by 2050 in the EU, with a focus on animal welfare, plant-based products and the end of industrial agriculture.

New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) come at the moment in which the international community attempts for a transition towards a more plant-based diet, and consumer demand for higher animal welfare standards is at an all-time high. While the promises of increased animal welfare, improved productivity and decreased environmental pressure are thought-provoking, there are concerns about the use of NGTs as they will not bring about any change to methods of production in general. This paper outlines Eurogroup for Animals' position.

The Farm to Fork strategy aims to reduce the environmental and climate footprint of the EU food system and facilitate the shift to healthy and sustainable diets. As part of this commitment, it seeks to further empower consumers through labelling information. A proposal for a sustainable food labelling framework is scheduled for 2024, and the same time, the European Commission is considering options for animal welfare labelling. This report details what we at Eurogroup for Animals believe should be included for a meaningful and effective animal welfare label, along with how such a label can fit together with the sustainable food labelling framework, and our key considerations regarding the methodology that would underpin the above.

Animal protection has been for too long absent from the conversations on climate change. Yet, animals and animal-related sectors play a significant role in ensuring a transition towards climate-resilient societies.

The Framework Sustainable Food System law can, potentially, be the game changer that makes the EU’s agricultural and food sectors positive contributors to fighting climate change and ensuring food security.

The framework law must, therefore, be given the capacity to transform the entire food system to make healthy, sustainable food the central objective of all agri-food policy and legislation.

Eurogroup for Animals has identified five policy priorities that need to be addressed by the framework for the sustainable transformation of the EU’s food system.

With this document, we present to the European decision makers a set of policy recommendations for the revision of the legislation applicable to laying hens. The recommendations are either additions or corrections to the existing legislation, as in some cases there is currently no mention of much-needed provisions, and in others, the existing wording on certain issues needs updating according to the available body of science and experience. These recommendations are structured within the framework of the Five Domains model. Our proposed provisions, if well-implemented, will ensure that laying hens will enjoy a good life.

Ten species of insects are authorised for food or feed in the EU, and the number is likely to grow over the coming years. Insects are seen as a solution to food sustainability both as a replacement feed for animals and as a protein source for humans. However, the situation is not clear-cut. Industrial insect production does not go hand in hand with sustainable food systems.

Taking insect welfare as a starting point, this review highlights that:
1. The EU needs to ensure that insect production does not exacerbate the food-feed competition.
2. Insects used in feed must not slow progress towards the EU’s sustainable food system objectives.
3. The welfare of insects needs to be taken into account as they have behavioural needs and cognitive abilities.
4. Genetic manipulation of insects is part of the business model, it must be approached with caution as it can give rise to new welfare concerns.

The Farm to Fork strategy recognises the need to move towards a more plant-based diet. However, few concrete measures have been proposed to date. It is, therefore, important for the Commission to receive numerous responses highlighting the importance and role of animal welfare in a sustainable food future and supporting a transition towards a more plant-based diet to keep the food system within planetary boundaries.

Eurogroup for Animals welcomes the public consultation on the review of the EU school fruit, vegetables and milk scheme that will “contribute to promoting sustainable food consumption, in line with the Farm to Fork Strategy.”

While the school scheme was designed to increase the consumption of dairy products, reconnect children with agriculture and teach them about healthy eating habits, we believe that it is important to review the school milk scheme in light of the transition to healthy, sustainable diets and the negative environmental impact of intensive animal farming. The design and implementation of the school milk scheme should be based on reaching the targets of the European Green Deal, the Farm to Fork strategy, Europe's Beating Cancer Plan and the EU Organic Action Plan.

In 2019 over 1,600,000,000 farm animals (ovines, bovines, poultry, and pigs) were transported alive across the European Union and to non-European countries. Live transport is a major concern as animals are exposed to stress at loading and unloading, and can suffer hunger, thirst, exhaustion, and lack of space and rest during transit. Transporting live animals also poses serious risks for animals and, potentially, public health due to the possible spread of diseases.

Eurogroup for Animals calls for systemic changes to make sure that animals will not be unnecessarily transported within the EU and they will never leave the Union alive.