Document type Press release from the FrenchMinistry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty
Author : French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty
Preview: The European Commission plans to publish its proposals for a review of animal welfare standards in the second half of 2023. With this in mind, the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty conducted a consultation with all stakeholders in the first half of 2023.. The consultation outcomes made possible the formulation of proposals to improve farm animal welfare, which have just been sent to the Commission.
The improvement of animal welfare and combating animal abuse have been Government priorities since 2017. Primarily, these involve the practical implementation of measures and public policies: a plan to modernize abattoirs, a plan to combat pet abandonment, an end to the live castration of piglets, an end to the crushing of chicks, investment in farm welfare and biosecurity, etc. Currently, French livestock farms meet major societal requirements for all species.
The French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty has noted the European Commission's desire to revise European animal welfare standards to take better account of the preferences expressed by European consumers and citizens, while including livestock farmers at the heart of the debate.
The French authorities urge the European Commission not to create circumstances where European livestock farming is once again left in a position where competition is skewed or competitiveness is compromised. This means working to strengthen the level of harmonization of the European Union's internal market; it also calls for greater application of European standards by third countries (external to the EU) for the animal products they export to the Union, applying the principle of reciprocity. The French authorities therefore propose to the Commission that "mirror" measures should be genuinely incorporated into the future legislative package's documentation.
Concerning the introduction of a European animal-welfare labelling system, the French authorities wish to encourage the improvement of information provided to consumers via the voluntary labelling of animal products placed on the European market.
The French authorities also consider that the changes should take new scientific knowledge, the existence of alternative production methods and prior impact studies into account. They wish to inform the Commission that they will pay close attention to transition costs, which should be shared by all those in the food chain, including consumers.
The French authorities also stress that the systems cannot be transformed immediately, and that the process must be viewed as a long-term transition. It is essential to take into account the economic capacity of the industry to adapt over time to the new requirements, and to allow time for legislation to come into force, thereby allowing professionals to plan ahead, particularly with regard to the amortization period for investments in livestock buildings.
The European Commission is also called upon to pay particular attention to the improvement of livestock farming and transport conditions by the French authorities, who propose several directions for this legislative change, including: pain management, either by reducing pain, or by limiting or banning the the practice that causes it when a less painful alternative exists that is economically viable; banning the systematic extermination of male chicks in the egg sector; the compulsory appointment of an animal welfare advisor on farms; staff training; creation of a European observatory on animal transport, etc.
Last, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty is currently pursuing the discussions begun in the first half of 2023 with all stakeholders, to refine and complete the proposals for change that will be put forward by France in the European negotiations.
Press release leading to: :
- News item on August 11, 2023 on the Fondation Brigitte Bardot website:Élevage, transport, abattage : Alors que la Commission européenne s’apprête à réviser les normes de bien-être animal, la France affiche son manque d’ambition et reste le cancre de l’UE !
- an OABA press release on July 17, 2023: #Révisionanimal welfare: l'échec de la concertation française
