The EU’s long-awaited animal welfare proposals are falling apart without explanation. Some reports suspect the weight of economic objectives.
A series of long-awaited proposals on animal welfare in the EU is overdue, and it appears the European Commission will not stick to its commitments.
Brussels appears to be handling the issue quietly, with leaks revealing the proposals could be scrapped in order to combat high food prices and inflation plaguing the continent.
Animal welfare organizations have accused policymakers of flip-flopping and seeming to fail to understand what is happening despite the Commission pledging to “end the era of cages” A few years ago.
This citizen initiative was signed by nearly 1.4 million people in 2020.
She incited the Commission to commit to proposing legislation aiming to phase out the use of cage systems for animals such as chickens, rabbits and ducks by the end of 2023.
The legislative framework should also provide for the cessation of the slaughter of day-old chicks, the sale and production of fur, as well as reducing the transport of live animals.
The deafening silence of the European Commission
Media outlets began to express doubts about the fate of the legislation.
The subject was also absent from State of the Union Address by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyenwho had the opportunity to summarize what remained to be done by his administration, before the European elections next year.
This has not escaped the attention of animal protection NGOs.
Euronews contacted the European Commission, but received no response at the time of publishing this article.
Finally, during a hearing in the European Parliament on Tuesday, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission Maroš Šefčovič, appointed to oversee the European Green Dealraised many eyebrows when he was unable to commit to a deadline for the animal welfare proposals in question.
The vice-president, however, repeatedly reiterated that proposals relating to animal welfare remained a priority for the months to come.
The following day, on the occasion of “World Animal Day”, Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič wrote to MEPs to inform them that the European Commission will present its proposal to protect animals during transport in December 2023.
However, he did not commit to any timelines for the rest of the animal welfare issues, noting that the Commission will continue to work on the remaining proposals.
Animal protection organizations, including FOUR PAWS International and Compassion in World Farming, immediately reacted by declaring that the European Commission was not keeping its promises.
“Compassion in World Farming” stated that “The Commission slaps democracy in the face and announces the end of the animal welfare revolution in the EU”.
Could inflation be the reason for abandoning animal welfare?
The European Commission has not yet communicated the precise reasons why it abandoned the proposals but media reports suggest fears that the animal welfare amendments could further fuel food inflation.
The Financial Times (FT) has made state of a draft Commission impact study, which shows that farmers’ costs could increase by 15% on average, which could lead to higher consumer prices and increased imports.
Improving broiler housing conditions could add a penny to the price of an egg, according to the draft assessment.
In its report, the Financial Times asked the European farmers’ group “Copa-Cogeca” for its opinion on the proposals. He said he was in favor of many of the changes suggested, provided they were accompanied by financial aid and that imported meat met the same standards as that produced in Europe.
Despite these fears, food inflation, while still high, has actually started to slow down in recent months, according to Eurostat, the EU statistical office.
Furthermore, it would take years for the proposals to be written into law and put into practice, making the current food inflation even less significant.
FOUR PAWS’ European policy director, Joe Moran, told Euronews that the proposals remain proposals until they are adopted.
“We’re looking at 2028, 2027, and then there will be an implementation period before they actually apply.”he says.
Transition periods for such measures often last 10 to 15 years.
“Not moving forward now because of costs that could be spread over 20 years would, in my opinion, be a bit like someone canceling their summer vacation in 10 years because they looked online and it’s raining at his destination today”, assures Joe Moran. “It literally makes no sense. It’s insane.“
The director expressed his suspicion that abandoning the projects could be “a question of optics” in light of the European Commission’s efforts to secure the new EU-Mercosur trade deal involving Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, before the end of this year.
The impact of planned animal welfare proposals on international trade relations
In April 2023, an impact study found that the trading partners most affected by the stricter standards are expected to be Brazil and Thailand in the case of poultry meat, and Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay in the case of beef.
According to Joe Moran, the European Commission thinks it would be “incredibly dangerous” that the legislative package be revealed during negotiations as it could jeopardize a deal if South American imports were held to the same high standards.
“They see this as a sort of straw that could break the camel’s back.”he says.
Joe Moran added that as far as he was aware, the initially planned proposals were ready to move to the inter-agency consultation stage, before finally being published in the coming weeks. He said he does not understand why, at this stage, they cannot be made public.
“A proposal is just a proposal. We simply ask them to put these texts in the public domain, in front of MEPs and Member States”explains Joe Moran. “They could then be amended. They can be changed. But at least in a democracy discussions like these should take place in the light of day. I don’t believe they should take place behind closed doors.”.
What are thechallenges ?
The director drew attention to the pressing problems the proposals were intended to address, such as stopping the castration of piglets, preventing the separation of calves from their mothers immediately after birth and stopping growth chickens at such a rate that they cannot not stand because their legs cannot support their own weight.
L’European Food Safety Authority notes that the welfare of farmed animals is directly linked to the safety of the food chain and that the relationship between animal welfare and health and diseases of animal origin is close, stressors and lack welfare issues leading to increased susceptibility to communicable diseases in animals.
It is worth remembering that there are no serious concerns about food safety in the European Union, which already has the highest animal welfare standards in the world.
While recognizing that the EU is a leader in many respects, Joe Moran points out that other regions of the world better regulate certain aspects of animal welfare, such as banning live animal exports, although their regulation general well-being is much lower than that of Europe.
“If we want the EU to remain the world leader on animal welfare, we need these proposals now”he concludes.