Polls over the years have consistently demonstrated the overwhelming interest of EU citizens for animal welfare issues (European Commission, 2016), so much so that over 500 European Parliamentary candidates pledged to better support the adoption of a broader, more comprehensive legal framework for animal protection in 2019.

Animal Welfare is intrinsically related to environmentally friendly livestock systems and belongs at the core of a future EU food policy, whilst delivering on the United Nation (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Indeed, most of the targets set up by the UN cannot be achieved if the welfare of animals is not improved (Eurogroup for Animals, 2019). An obvious example of these interconnections is the spread of intensive farming. Highly industrialised animal production systems have devastating effects both on the welfare of the animals and on the environment, leading to water and ground pollution, deforestation, and — more often than not — to an increase in green-house gas (GHG) emissions. Production systems with the potential to provide higher animal welfare conditions are also more likely to have a lesser impact on the environment, the climate and livelihoods.

Click here to read the feedback we submitted for the Farm-to-Fork Strategy.