On the occasion of the publication of the “EU Livestock Strategy” and the “EU Protein Strategy,” the German Animal Welfare Federation criticizes the European Commission for clinging to an agricultural policy geared toward maintaining and expanding livestock farming. Instead of initiating the necessary transformation of the food system, the Commission continues to rely on livestock farming as a guarantee of food security, competitiveness, and strategic autonomy.
“With this strategy, the European Commission is cementing a system of animal agriculture that causes significant animal suffering while also straining the climate, the environment, and resources,” says Jürgen Plinz, a member of the Executive Board of the German Animal Welfare Federation and a board member of the European animal welfare umbrella organization Eurogroup for Animals. “Anyone who wants to make Europe’s agriculture sustainable must have the courage to reduce the scale of animal agriculture and promote plant-based proteins much more strongly. The Commission is failing to seize this opportunity.”
The German Animal Welfare Federation views it as a positive step that the strategy includes, for the first time, a timeline for revising European animal welfare legislation. The announced phased phase-out of cage rearing, improvements in pig farming, and a stronger focus on animal health and behavioral indicators are also steps in the right direction. However, it is now crucial that these announcements be followed by binding legislative proposals.
The association is also critical of the fact that the strategy ignores the root causes of many problems associated with intensive animal farming. Although measures for disease prevention and biosecurity are announced, the risks associated with high livestock populations and stocking densities remain largely unaddressed.
It is difficult to understand why numerous stakeholders engage constructively in extensive discussions and work together to reach compromises if, in the end, the final draft legislation reflects almost exclusively the interests of the agricultural sector.
“The strategy contains some long-overdue signals for animal welfare. Overall, however, it not only perpetuates the status quo but also falls short of previous animal welfare policy ambitions on key points. Europe needs fewer animals in better housing systems—not a strategy that hinders animal welfare instead of advancing it,” said Plinz.
