Document type: article published on the Web agri website
Author: Alice Peucelle
Preview: The European Commission presented its draft regulation on the transport of farmed animals at the end of 2023, and further legislation is expected by 2026. On the agenda are an end to cage farming, enrichment of animal living environments, social interaction and an end to non-essential surgical interventions.
In 2019, Ursula von der Leyen was elected to head the European Commission. Her ambition was to conduct her presidential term under the banner of environmental transition. The Green Deal, presented in 2020, was to be her profession of faith, marked by the desire to improve the general level of animal welfare in Europe. Five years later, the picture is less clear. Luc Mounier, who heads the work of the Animal Welfare Chair at VetAgro Sup, sets out the main trends that farmers will have to contend with. "The initial objective was to issue draft legislation before 2024, the date of the European elections". But caught between the war in Ukraine, inflation and farmers' protests, the Green Deal has fallen behind schedule. "Only the draft on the transport of farm animals was presented in December 2023," sums up the educator and researcher. Currently being examined by the Member States, the draft legislation includes a ban on the transport of calves under five weeks of age. "The final text should be presented to the parliament next year". In other words, it's highly likely that the measure will be adopted. It remains to be seen how long Member States will be given to comply.
Moving towards a new regulation in 2028
Other measures are also in preparation. "Most of EFSA's expert opinions have been delivered. The one on suckler cows has still to be published in 2025. This suggests that proposals will be submitted to Member States during 2026, with a possible vote in 2028".
Rethinking dairy calf rearing
Although it is still too early to know the content of the draft legislation, the EFSA Opinions set the tone. As far as dairy farms are concerned, "the changes will mainly concern calf rearing", warns Luc Mounier. Reducing the age at which calves can live in groups, encouraging contact between mother (or nurse cow) and calf, enriching the living environment... "You can't design a building in 2024 without thinking about how you intend to incorporate these factors," insists the researcher. As far as cows are concerned, "there may be changes in terms of the minimum surface area per animal, but that shouldn't have much impact". (...) Especially as the introduction of bans does not necessarily mean immediate closure of buildings. "In the poultry sector, it is no longer possible to construct new buildings for cage rearing. This allows a gradual transition. But there are unintended consequences, because we end up with farmers whose buildings are getting older and who are not putting any money into them any more."
More space for fattening herds
There should be little impact on suckling herds. "Our systems tend to be grass-based, and generally cage-free. The biggest changes are likely to come for fatteners, with changes to the regulatory space requirements for fattening bull calves, as for veal calf production. Recommendations on flooring types for buildings housing fatteners could also be introduced. And the use of the culard gene could also be in the firing line. For the moment, it's hard to say what will be in the regulations and what will be general trends. But in the researcher's view, "it would be very foolhardy to design a new building without taking these considerations into account. If it's not imposed by the regulations, the various specifications will still move in that direction, so we might as well anticipate it".
Ursula von der Leyen's reappointment as Head of the European Commission makes a change of course unlikely. The strategic speech on the future of agriculture in early September confirmed the Commission's determination to continue its work. That said, the priorities remain food sovereignty and making sure there is a new generation of farmers. (...)
