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Displaying 121 - 144 of 176 Publications

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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.

Magazine October 2020

Political Advocacy
Magazine

Themed around our Stop Pandemics, Start Here campaign, this edition of our Magazine features an interview with Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice President of the European Commission, and more.

fr

Handle with Care: Lessen the Suffering of the Fish in EU Wild capture Fisheries

Aquatic Animals
Policy Briefing

Wild capture fisheries are the last major food sector and last animal producing sector to be based on wild harvest. Fishing activities take place far out of sight of most citizens, and wild capture fisheries have operated and developed without considering their impact on the fish they catch. This can change. Commercial fishers should become the stewards of the sea. Fish are their livelihood: any improvement to the way fish are captured, handled and slaughtered, i.e. an improved approach to animal welfare in wild
capture fisheries, is an improvement to their harvest. A concerted effort is required from the fishery sector and from regulators to implement meaningful improvements.

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.

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.

fr

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.

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.

Magazine May 2020

Political Advocacy
Magazine

Themed around the COVID-19 pandemic, this edition of our Magazine features an interview with MEP Hilde Vautmans, our efforts to enshrine animal welfare in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and more.

COVID-19 and the Wildlife Trade

Wildlife
Policy Briefing

The EU must take the responsibility in taking action on trade in wildlife and show that the painful lesson of COVID-19 has been learned. The European Commission is presently drafting the Biodiversity Strategy to 2030, a crucial component of the EU Green Deal and a great opportunity to take action. This document, if ambitious enough, can initiate a decisive change of direction for the EU policies on wildlife trade.

Strategy 2027 Summary

Political Advocacy
Brochure

The new Eurogroup for Animals strategy has been produced in a - for us - revolutionary way. Never before have we taken the time to research the context we are working in thoroughly, using a ‘PESTLE’ framework to look at Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental external factors. The consultation process has never been this inclusive either, with participation of almost all our members and working groups. This has resulted in a 10 year overarching strategy which we are convinced is truly strategic without
restricting our room to innovate and adapt along the 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.

Annual Report 2019

Political Advocacy
Annual Report

Summary of Eurogroup for Animals' activity in 2019.

Magazine January 2020

Political Advocacy
Magazine

Themed around live transport, this edition of our Magazine features an interview an obituary for Heli Dungler, news on our efforts to solve the wildlife rescue crisis in Europe, and more.

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.

Roadmap for EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2030

Wildlife
Policy Briefing

Eurogroup for Animals welcomes the drafting of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2030 as a key delivery of the EU Green Deal. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Global Assessment Report published in May 2019 exposed that biodiversity is declining globally at unprecedented rates. In the EU alone, unsustainable intensification of agriculture and fisheries have
left only 23% of protected species and 16% of protected habitats in good conservation, and therefore sustainable, status. Clearly, EU efforts to avert global biodiversity loss by 2020, as required by Target 6 of the 2020 Biodiversity Strategy, have failed to meet their objective. There’s no time left for political disengagement and lack of commitment: the 2030 Biodiversity Strategy must be the tool to make the change needed to reverse biodiversity loss, also by securing adequate financial resources and adopting necessary new legislation.

The 2020 Common Agricultural Policy Reform

Farm Animals
Position Paper

In 1962, the six founding Member States of the European Economic Community vowed to restore Europe’s capacity to feed itself through the creation of the Common Agricultural Policy (“CAP”). Very quickly, the CAP was successful in achieving food security, so much so that as early as the 1970s farmers started over producing food.

Although the CAP has undergone several reforms aiming to adapt the agricultural support systems to past and current challenges, these reforms have failed to deliver results in transitioning to a more sustainable agriculture and away from intensive production methods. Quite the opposite, the CAP has in fact incentivised the intensification of agriculture across Europe. The predominant business model has become
that of the so-called ‘factory farms,’ where extreme confinement of animals is the norm, entailing excessive use of antibiotics, environmental pollution and degraded labour conditions for workers along the production
chain.

Such an orientation in policy stands in sharp contrast with the overwhelming commitment of EU citizens towards farm animal welfare and the societal demand for a CAP more effective in delivering on farm animal welfare objectives.

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.

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.

Magazine October 2019

Political Advocacy
Magazine

Themed around non-animal approaches in science, this edition of our Magazine features an interview with Susanna Ahlström, Senior Specialist at the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, an update on the international trade in wild caught elephants, and more.

Magazine July 2019

Political Advocacy
Magazine

In this post EU elections special, we ask will the European elections bring the changes that animals need? This edition of our Magazine features interviews with five newly elected MEPs who share their priorities.

Stunning / Killing of Pigs with High Concentrations of CO2

Farm Animals
Position Paper

The position of Eurogroup for Animals is that - in the spirit of Recital 6 of the Slaughter Regulation (1099/2009/EC) - the stunning of pigs with high concentrations of CO2 should be phased out as quickly as possible. Therefore, research and development resources should be urgently devoted to finding a painless and non-aversive alternative to stunning with high concentrations of CO2.

The European Commission, the EU Member States and the pig industry must invest the necessary funding, energy and commitment to developing one or more alternative stunning methods that either induce instantaneous unconsciousness or that, if the process is gradual, are non-aversive.

European Public Perceptions of Fish Welfare

Aquatic Animals
Factsheet

Facts and figures on European public perceptions of fish welfare, based on research carried out by ComRes on behalf of Eurogroup for Animals and Compassion in World Farming between 30th April and 8th May 2018 using internet polling. 9,047 adults across the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Sweden, The Netherlands, and Czechia responded.