Transport, housing, care conditions, and fur. The EU animal welfare package

Brussels – Farm animals, pets, fur animals. The new animal welfare package that the European Commission  presented today (Dec. 7) includes it all: a set of proposals to update and improve the rules on breeding, housing, care, and transport of live animals, with an appendix on the issue of the (possible) ban on animal fur. “Animal welfare is an issue that is very close to the hearts of EU citizens, and working to improve it has been our political priority from day one,” said Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides, presenting the new package together with the Executive Vice-President responsible for the Green Deal, Maroš Šefčovič.

Three strands of regulatory action will now have to go through co-legislators at the EU Parliament and Council (the first two) and the evaluation of the European Food Safety Authority (the second). First and foremost is the issue of transport of live animals. The rules currently in force date back to 2005  and “no longer reflect the current reality, the latest scientific knowledge, advice, sustainability goals, or the legitimate concerns of our citizens,” EU executives say, noting that the issue affects 1.6 billion animals transported to and from the EU each year. The first proposal is to reduce travel times, with “special rules” for slaughtering animals and vulnerable ones-“such as unweaned calves and pregnant females”- and the obligation to unload them to rest and for feeding and watering periods during longer journeys. Also, to increase minimum transport space, “tailored for each species,” while“strict conditions” will be enforced in case of extreme temperature. For example, above 30 degrees, transport will be limited to night hours only. Below -5 degrees, travel time will not exceed nine hours. Below 0 degrees, vehicles will have to be covered to protect animals from exposure to the cold. Rules for the export of live animals from the EU will be strengthened, and digital control tools will be used “to the maximum extent”.

The second guideline is animal welfare for dogs, cats, and other pets. “Trade has grown significantly in recent years, with an annual value of 1.3 billion euros,” the EU Commission points out, noting that this, however, has not translated into harmonization of standards for professional breeding, keeping, and selling: “There is ample evidence of substandard practices and abuse,” with illegal trade “surging, accelerated by the online market growing to make up 60 percent of the total.” That is why the von der Leyen Cabinet proposal focuses on standards for farms, establishments, stores, and shelters. For the first time, minimum standards for the breeding, housing, care and treatment of pets will apply across the EU, including strict traceability requirements and automated checks for online sales to verify identification and registration (including when importing from outside the EU). In addition, member countries will have to provide training for animal handlers “and anyone buying a dog or cat will have to be informed about the importance of responsible ownership.”

Finally there is the issue of the ban on fur, even if at least formally not part of the proposed animal welfare package. “The Commission has mandated EFSA to provide scientific advice on the welfare of animals raised for fur. Based on this scientific input and an assessment of the economic and social impacts, we will communicate the most appropriate action,” the von der Leyen cabinet said in response to the Fur Free Europe  initiative , which aims at establishing harmonized EU legislation on banning animal breeding for fur trade. In terms of timing, the EU executive said that the EU Agency will now begin its assessment and provide its scientific opinion “by March 2025”.

The citizens’ initiative – registered by the EU Commission on March 16, 2022, and endorsed by the Euro Chamber just over a month ago – has garnered the support of 1.5 million people, reaching the required threshold in 18 member states. According to the dedicated report,  animal farming for fur is to be banned for three reasons: it is unethical, unsafe, and unsustainable. “Farms cannot meet the complex behavioral needs of wild animal species, such as foxes and mink, which are bred for fur, regardless of where it is practiced,” according to the first point of the initiative. In terms of health, “during the Covid-19 pandemic hundreds of mink farms were affected by outbreaks and new variants of the Sars-CoV-2 virus were found to have been transmitted to humans from animals.” And, finally, sustainability: “The grooming and dyeing of furs involve the use of toxic chemicals,” and this processing “ranks among the top five industries with the highest intensity of pollution” from toxic metals.