Document type : article published in Le Monde (subscriber edition)
Author: Mathilde Gérard
Preview: The Ministry of Agriculture has set up working groups to inform the position to be adopted by France before the European Commission. Welfare organisations are highly critical of the fact that slaughter is excluded from the scope of the consultation.
Will France, Europe's leading agricultural producer, show leadership on the issue of animal welfare? Seven organisations for the protection of animals (Compassion in World Farming, the Animal Rights Foundation, Welfarm, the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, etc.) joined forces in mid-April to urge the French Minister of Agriculture, Marc Fesneau, to "support in Brussels a complete and ambitious revision" of the regulations on animal welfare".
As part of the work initiated by the European Commission and intended to lead to the presentation of a vast regulatory review by the end of 2023, the French Minister has just launched a consultation that brings together representatives of the relevant sectors, unions, technical institutes and NGOs. Stakeholders were invited to submit their comments in writing before two discussion sessions in April and June.
Prior to the consultation, the Ministry set out the details of its "guiding principles" to stakeholders: France will apply the European regulations, no more and no less; it seeks to avoid market distortions and is asking for mirror clauses to be applied to imports from third countries; it emphasizes that the livestock sectors will not be able to bear the cost of transition on their own, and that they need to be supported, technically and financially. [end of the part available without subscription]
Article on the same subject published in Le Point on April 18, 2023 : L’abattage: le grand oublié de la révision de la législation européenne sur le bien-être animal
