Document type: audit report published on the European Commission website
Authors: Directorate General for Health and Food Safety
Preview: This report describes the outcome of an audit of France, carried out remotely from 23 to 27 January 2023 and on-the-spot from 30 January to 3 February 2023, as part of the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety work programme. The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness of the official controls on the protection of cattle kept for beef production and to gather information related to the protection of that livestock. The audit concluded that the official system for animal welfare controls at cattle farms avails of competent staff, good guidance and coordination from the central competent authority, useful tools and mortality scores of farms. The competent authority ensures a consistent organisation and planning of official controls, as well as effective implementation of comprehensive inspections, as planned. There is an inadequate application of risk-based planning in some Departmental Directorates and the risk-planning performed does not consider relevant factors such as the activities under the control of operators (e.g., dehorning, tethering) with significant impact in animal welfare. The system is well set up system and generally effective to monitor the state of welfare of animals kept for beef production. The guidance available to inspectors is extensive and generally good. For areas such as water supply and dehorning, and to categorise non-compliances, the instructions are insufficient to obtain a consistent interpretation among inspectors. The absence of verification procedures hinders the ability of the authorities to demonstrate that the controls achieve their goals. The incomplete follow up of internal audits favors the persistence of weaknesses in the system and thus reduces the capacity of the system to ensure compliance and address existing animal welfare issues. The report contains recommendations to the competent authorities aimed at addressing areas in which further improvements are required or to address the shortcomings identified.
