The three animal welfare NGOs call on the European Parliament to vote against an implementation report by its Agriculture Committee (AGRI) and replace it by an opinion of the Environment Committee.
The Plenary vote on the report, named by the AGRI rapporteur Jérémy Decerle MEP (RE, FR) is scheduled to take place next Monday (14 February).
In an open letter to all MEPs signed by the heads of Eurogroup for Animals, Compassion in World Farming and Four Paws, the NGOs assert that the report focuses solely on farmers’ economic needs and fails to address animal welfare issues in EU legislation. According to the NGOs, the report has ignored its original mandate concerning the implementation of EU animal welfare legislation on farms.
“Many paragraphs address solely farmers’ economic needs. Even though we strongly believe that farmers should be considered and supported in transitioning to higher animal welfare systems, we deplore the misleading use of ‘animal welfare’, a cause particularly close to the heart of citizens, to address other economic issues.”
One example is foie gras production which is presented as an animal-friendly practice in the AGRI report. Already in 1998, the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare concluded that the management and housing of the birds used for producing foie gras have a negative impact on their welfare.
In the forthcoming plenary vote, they urge the Parliament to support an amendment by MEP Anja Hazekamp on behalf of The Left with co-signatories from Greens/EFA, S&D and Renew Europe which proposes an alternative motion for a resolution (the ENVI opinion).
The Brussels Times
