Document type: Answer from the European Commission to priority question P-00306½023
Authors: question : Francisco Guerreiro (Greens/EFA), Tilly Metz (Greens/EFA), Sylwia Spurek (Greens/EFA), Anja Hazekamp (The Left), Mick Wallace (The Left), Marc Botenga (The Left), Róża Thun und Hohenstein (Renew), Pierre Larrouturou (S&D), José Gusmão (The Left), Marisa Matias (The Left), Alice Kuhnke (Greens/EFA), Pär Holmgren (Greens/EFA), Jakop G. Dalunde (Greens/EFA), Anna Deparnay-Grunenberg (Greens/EFA), Marcel Kolaja (Greens/EFA), Pascal Durand (S&D), Robert Biedroń (S&D), Niels Fuglsang (S&D), Marianne Vind (S&D), Caroline Roose (Greens/EFA), Emil Radev (EPP), Clare Daly (The Left), Manuela Ripa (Greens/EFA), Maria Noichl (S&D), Heidi Hautala (Greens/EFA), Günther Sidl (S&D), Malte Gallée (Greens/EFA), Aurore Lalucq (S&D), Martin Buschmann (NI), Sirpa Pietikäinen (PPE), Mikuláš Peksa (Greens/EFA), Kira Marie Peter-Hansen (Greens/EFA), Margrete Auken (Greens/EFA), Ville Niinistö (Greens/EFA), Marie Toussaint (Greens/EFA), Jiří Pospíšil (EPP), Nikolaj Villumsen (The Left), Saskia Bricmont (Greens/EFA), Sara Matthieu (Greens/EFA), Martin Häusling (Greens/EFA), Grace O'Sullivan (Greens/EFA), Irena Joveva (Renew), Raphaël Glucksmann (S&D), Mounir Satouri (Greens/EFA), Erik Marquardt (Greens/EFA), Damien Carême (Greens/EFA), Sarah Wiener (Greens/EFA). Answer: Mrs Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission
Question: As part of the Farm to Fork Strategy, the Commission pledged to review EU animal welfare legislation by 2023. It also assured citizens that this review would include a proposal to prohibit the inhumane and unethical practice of caging in farming, in response to the demands of the over 1.6 million citizens who signed the European Citizens’ Initiative ‘End the Cage Age’. The Commission’s positive response to the petition raised hopes among citizens that the EU genuinely listened to and wanted to act upon their concerns.
However, the Financial Times reported that three EU officials with knowledge of the matter had stated that the Commission had abandoned these proposals entirely. This development is concerning, raising questions about the EU institutions’ democratic credibility.
1. Will the Commission present new animal welfare legislation and a Sustainable Food System framework by the promised deadline of the end of 2023? Will this include a ban on animal caging in farming, as promised?
2. If not, is the Commission going back on its commitments because of pressure from the industry and the forthcoming elections?
3. Does it recognise that by postponing adequate legislation to protect animals and foster a sustainable food system, the EU is only deepening the ecological crisis?
Answer: Animal welfare is and will remain a priority for the Commission. The Farm to Fork Strategy foresees a revision of the EU’s animal welfare legislation.
As a first step, the Commission adopted two legislative proposals on 7 December 2023, one to revise the current EU rules on the protection of animals during transport, and one to establish new EU rules, for the first time, on the welfare of dogs and cats and their traceability.
The preparatory work to revise existing EU rules on the welfare of animals at farm level, at the time of killing and to establish a voluntary European label for animal welfare, is still ongoing.
In its reply to the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) ‘end the cage age’, the Commission announced its intention to adopt a legislative proposal to phase out and finally prohibit the use of cage systems for all animals mentioned in the ECI .
The preliminary results of the ongoing impact assessment show that the transition to cage-free systems demands the adaptation of several farming parameters, such as enriching the environment of the animals, and providing them with more space.
Further consultations are needed concerning the costs, the appropriate length of the transitional period and the relevant measures at import. Preparatory work will therefore continue, including in the context of the strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture in the EU.
Food sustainability is fundamental for health, environment and food security. F ocusing on the accompanying impact assessment, the Commission pursues preparatory work on the proposal for a framework for sustainable food systems which will aim at enabling and accelerating the necessary transition of the food system.
No decision has been taken at this point regarding the timing of its adoption.
