Document type: response from the European Commission to question E-002480/2023
Authors: question: Annika Bruna (ID). Answer: Stella Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission
Question Pig farms that routinely dock the tails of pigs, i.e. cut off a portion of their tails, are in the majority in France (95%) and throughout the European Union (75%). The ban on tail-docking is therefore not being respected.
According to the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE), however, this mutilation causes ‘chronic pain similar to that reported by humans after amputation’. It is used on industrial farms where pigs bite one another because of their close proximity, poor nutrition, boredom and frustration.
In theory, tail-docking is regulated by the European Directive laying down minimum standards for the protection of pigs. The Directive states in particular that such removal must not be routine: it must be carried out only where there is evidence that injuries to sows’ teats or to other pigs’ ears or tails have occurred. The text also points out that other measures must be taken to prevent tail-biting before carrying out these procedures.
Is the Commission prepared to better regulate living conditions in industrial pig farms – by increasing pen sizes, improving watering and lighting systems, and providing chewing material – with a view to ensuring that tail-docking is in fact used only in exceptional cases?
Answer : The "Farm to Fork" strategy foresees a revision of the EU's animal welfare legislation. Preparatory work is in progress and covers, among other topics, the welfare of farmed pigs. The Commission has finalised the Fitness Check of the current legislation, identifying its strengths and weaknesses. In addition, the European Food Safety Authority has adopted a scientific opinion on the welfare of pigs on farm, which provides recommendations on relevant welfare aspects of pig farming.
