Discipline: Law

Agriculture MEPs call for a scientifically-sound update of animal welfare rules

Gediminas Vilkas, Hana Raissi

Published in 2021

News item presenting the main conclusions of the draft resolution on the implementation report on animal welfare rules on farms, adopted by the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development on 26 October 2021. They include a call for clearer and more consistent EU rules, financial incentives for farmers, and an EU-wide animal-welfare labelling system.

Document Types: Opinions

Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Ovines, Porcines, Poultry

Keywords: Societal issues, Livestock farming system

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European Parliament: Written answer to Question E-003809/2021 : Fight against the proliferation of illegal ritual slaughter

Question: Annika Bruna (ID), Sylvia Limmer (ID), Jean-Paul Garraud (ID), Gianna Gancia (ID), Virginie Joron (ID), Aurélia Beigneux (ID), Jean-Lin Lacapelle (ID), Gerolf Annemans (ID) Answer: Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission

Published in 2021

Answer to a question on the infringement of the rules governing the slaughter of sheep, which the MEP considers to occur frequently during illegal ritual slaughter.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Ovines

Keywords:Consciousness, Pain, Societal issues, Human-animal relationships, Stress

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Thirty Years of Changes and the Current State of Swedish Animal Welfare Legislation

Frida Lundmark Hedman, Charlotte Berg, Margareta Stéen

Published in 2021

Scientific paper showing that changes in Swedish animal welfare regulations between 1988 and 2019 have increased the level of animal welfare protection for cattle, pigs and horses, but that a number of individual requirements have been relaxed to meet objectives other than animal welfare.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Cattle, Equines, Pigs

Keywords: Societal issues

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Conventional versus Ritual Slaughter-Ethical Aspects and Meat Quality

Jagoda Żurek, Mariusz Rudy, Magdalena Kachel, Stanisław Rudy

Published in 2021

Scientific review concerning the ethical aspects and quality of meat from animals undergoing conventional and ritual slaughter. The right to exercise one's religion is an inalienable right and animal welfare is an ethical issue, so it is essential that the assessment of ritual practices from an animal welfare perspective should be carried out in an objective and rigorous manner.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories:Goats, Sheep

Keywords:Consciousness, Carcass quality, Pain, Societal issues, Stress

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French Assemblée Nationale: Written answer to question n°39377: Major system failures in abattoirs

Question: Ms Danièle Obono (La France insoumise - Paris). Answer: French Ministry of Agriculture and Food

Published in 2021

Written answer to a parliamentary question on the measures taken by the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food in respect of the failings found in abattoirs  and whether a general audit of French abattoirs is under consideration, along with the compulsory publication of annual reports on compliance with standards and regulations.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Ovines, Porcines, Poultry

Keywords:Consciousness, Pain, Societal issues, Fear, Stress

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La fin de l’élimination des poussins mâles programmée pour 2022

Christophe Violette

Published in 2021

Article reviewing the ban on the crushing of male chicks that will come in on 1 January 2022 in France, and describing the in ovo sexing method that is advocated as an alternative by the French Government. However, this method entails a significant financial cost for breeders, that will partly be covered by the State.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords:Pain, Societal issues, Livestock farming system

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National Assembly: Written answer to question n°39648: Mesures d’accompagnement pour le développement des abattoirs mobiles en France

Question: Loïc Dombreval (La République en Marche - Alpes-Maritimes). Answer: French Ministry of Agriculture and Food

Published in 2021

Answer to a parliamentary question on the government's support measures for France's first mobile abattoir project, and whether the recovery plan could help the development of this new slaughtering method.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Ovines

Keywords:Consciousness, Pain, Carcass quality, Societal issues, Processing

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European Parliament: Written answer to Question E-002137/2021: The case of the Gulf Livestock 2 vessel and its non-compliance with live animal transport legislation

Question: Marisa Matias (The Left), Anja Hazekamp (The Left. Answer: Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Community

Published in 2021

Answer to a question about serious non-compliance found on a Portuguese vessel carrying live calves where poor welfare conditions were evident.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Category of animals: Bovines, Caprines, Ovines, Porcines

Keywords: Societal issues, Transport

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Bien-être animal : vers un label européen ?

Vie Publique Editorial Board

Published in 2021

Article summarising the main findings of a study by the European Parliament Research Service (EPRS) on animal welfare legislation and the EU labelling project. In the view of the EPRS, the legislation is outdated because of structural changes that have occurred in production systems and because it does not allow for recognition of the fact that animals are sentient beings. Europe-wide labelling is viewed as the best response to the increasing number of labelling systems now operating among Member States.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Ovines, Porcines, Poultry

Keywords: Societal issues, Welfare indicators, Human-animal relationships

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European Parliament: Written answer to Question E-002470/2021: 'Halal' Islamic slaughtering method. Clarification with regard to consumer protection and compatibility with animal welfare legislation

Question: Gianantonio Da Re (ID). Answer: Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission

Published in 2021

Parliamentary question on ritual slaughter and halal labelling

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Ovines

Keywords:Consciousness, Pain, Societal issues, Human-animal relationships, Stress

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