Document type: Press release of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty
Author: French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty
Preview: The European Commission will be putting forward its revised animal welfare standards in the second half of 2023. With this in mind, in March 2023 the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty launched a consultation with all stakeholders: sector representatives, trade unions, animal protection organizations, veterinarians, and scientific and technical bodies. These discussions, which have just been concluded, have enabled us to identify common ground and formulate proposals for improving the welfare of farm animals.
The Commission's revised "legislative package" should cover the conditions under which animals are kept on farms, transport conditions, the protection of animals at slaughter, and the labelling of animal products.
Three main principles proposed by the Ministry ran through the consultation: the avoidance of any threat to the level playing field between Member States; the assumption that the transition to new practices will have costs, and that those involved need technical and financial support; and the provision of sufficient certainty for operators to be able to plan their future activities.
Four working groups were asked to consider possible material measures to :
- Improve farming practices, to increase compatibility between the needs of species and the conduct of high-performance economic activity, at both individual and collective levels;
- Improve the quality of animal transport;
- Raise farmers' knowledge levels and improve their expertise through greater use of continuing education;
- Identify ways of supporting and sharing the additional costs associated with stricter animal welfare requirements within the European Union.
Stakeholders reached agreement on the three fundamental principles put forward by the Ministry. Moreover, even in the absence of a consensus between all parties in every area explored, the consultation process identified many possible actions to improve animal welfare on farms.
Suggested measures included the elimination of excessively invasive practices of limited use; training and support for livestock farmers in the use of veterinary medicines; greater i veterinarian involvement in carrying out and advising on procedures; harmonization of transport control systems between Member States and the creation of a Europe-wide animal transport observatory; development of the training component of support provided for livestock farmers in difficulties; introduction of mirror clauses for animal products imported from third countries, etc.
These principles and proposals will be forwarded to the European Commission in July.
An in-depth consultation phase with stakeholders is scheduled for the summer. Animal protection at the time of slaughter will be taken into account during this phase.
Last, once the European Commission has conveyed its legislative proposal to the European legislature (European Parliament and Council of the European Union) in the second half of 2023, a national organization will be set up to maintain momentum, working in parallel with the European negotiations to be held among members of the European bodies.
Subject of a joint press release from 7 NGOs: Echec de la concertation sur la révision de la législation sur la protection des animaux d’élevage : les ONG appellent le ministre à cesser de les instrumentaliser et à prendre ses responsabilités
