On 23-25 February 2004 the OIE organised the first global conference on animal
welfare at its headquarters in Paris. For more information, see the
Q&A;
and the dedicated OIE website.
The EU fully supports the initiative of the OIE regarding animal welfare and hopes to
concretely contribute to the process, in particular in relation to this global conference.
The primary objective of the Conference was to improve the global understanding of
the linkage between animal health and animal welfare and to seek NGOs' input on how they, as bodies
representing the views of stakeholders in many countries, could contribute most effectively to the
OIE's work.
The Conference brought together stakeholders (governmental
authorities, scientists, private sector and non profit NGOs) from around the world to
support OIE in its animal welfare activities and to assess the way they should
contribute most effectively. The draft
conference programme has been published and is available via the
conference website.
In May 2002 the OIE adopted a
Resolution on Animal Welfare
The 166 member countries of the OIE have accepted to start the development of policies and guiding principles to
provide a sound foundation from which to elaborate specific recommendations and standards.
The first meeting of a Working Group was held from 16 to 18
October 2002 in Paris
(Report
of this meeting concerning Animal Welfare).
In particular it examined the best options for incorporating the
views of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including industry, in its work on
animal welfare. The International Committee of the OIE adopted in May 2003 the
resolution No XXVI
(see document p.75)
that supports the work program
of the OIE in this field and the organisation of the first global conference on animal welfare and calls for
support to the initiative.
In November 2002 the Commission adopted a
Communication to the Council
and European Parliament
comparing animal welfare standards in the European Union with standards in third country trading partners.
The Report analyses ways to avoid potential competitive disadvantages and subsequent deterioration in
animal welfare standards as a result of disparities in measures.
The study shows that there is no international consensus on the role of animal welfare
and the measures in place in the EU cannot be readily compared with the standards in third countries.
A key issue for the report was whether competitive disadvantages arise from disparities
in animal welfare measures. The evidence available suggests that competitive distortions are most likely to
arise in the more intensive forms of agricultural production, notably in the pig and poultry sectors.
Starting from the assumption that competitive distortions (whether to the advantage or
disadvantage of EU producers) arising from differences in standards have the clear potential to undermine higher
animal welfare, the report investigates a number of channels to prevent such a development:
- Market mechanisms – consumers are increasingly willing to pay more for "ethical"
products;
- Dialogue at the international level aiming at greater recognition of animal welfare,
in particular in the framework of the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) and the Council of Europe;
- Promotion of animal welfare standards in trade arrangements;
- Within the Commission,
DG TRADE is responsible for general trade issues, including negotiations in the WTO),
DG Agriculture as far as
trade in agricultural products is concerned;
- Improvement of labelling regimes to respond to consumer demands for higher standards;
-
- DG Agriculture
is responsible for the labelling of agricultural products, for other labelling questions
DG Enterprise is the responsible Commission
service;
- Strengthening the position of animal welfare in EU agricultural policy as part of the reform of the
Common Agricultural Policy focusing on "quality rather than quantity";
- The web site of
DG Agriculture informs about the ongoing reform of the Common Agricultural Policy;
The pros and cons of each path are analysed in the document with a particular focus on the
implications of animal welfare as regards animal health, food safety and consumer concerns. The Report concludes that
efforts must concentrate on all fronts in order to cope with the complexity of animal welfare and its ethical and cultural
dimension.
Following reports in the media, there are increasing concerns in Europe about the production,
use, trade and import of cat and dog fur.
At present, no information confirms that cats and dogs are farmed for their fur in the European
Union, or in the ten countries due to become members of the EU by 2004. The Commission is aware that such farming practices
are present in some third countries and that fur is then imported into the Member States.
The Commission is currently examining options for a Community measure taking into consideration
the respective requirements of WTO law, legal bases under Community law and the interplay with existing legislation to
prevent consumer deception.
In 1988 the Community ratified the Council of Europe
Convention for the Protection of Animals Kept for Farming Purposes. The Community and the Member States are parties
to the Convention. They also participated in the process of drafting and adoption of
recommendations for the welfare of different animal species which are elaborated by the Standing Committee of the
Convention. The Member States are expected to give effect to the recommendations.
In the framework of this Convention recommendations on the protection of duck and geese and of
fur animals entered into force. The
Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare´s (SCAHAW) opinion on
Welfare aspects for the production of foie gras
in ducks and geese served as reference
for these recommendations.
A Recommendation concerning turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo ssp.) was adopted by the Standing Committee
on 21 June 2001 in Strasbourg and entered into force on 21 December 2001. The recommendation recognises that some methods of
husbandry at present in commercial use fail to meet the biological needs and hence result in poor welfare. Therefore all
Contracting Parties shall encourage research on the development of new husbandry systems and methods of breeding and
management in line with the Convention so that the needs of the animals can be met. The environment and management
practices must fulfil the animal’s biological needs rather than trying to adapt the animals to the environment by
procedures such as mutilation. The recommendation shall be reviewed within 5 years of coming into force.
A recommendation on the protection of animals kept for fur production was amended in 1999. General
requirements for the farming of the following species are provided: mink, polecat, ferret, fitch, foxes, coypu, nutria
and chinchilla. On 12-13 December 2001, the SCAHAW adopted an opinion on
The Welfare of Animals kept for Fur
Production.
In 1988 the Community also ratified the Council of Europe
Convention for the Protection of Animals for Slaughter.
On 11 June 2003 the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers adopted the revised Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of Animals during International Transport. The Convention will be opened for signature by Council of Europe member states and the European Union on the occasion of the 113th session of the Committee of Ministers in Chisinau, Moldova on 5 November 2003.
- See this related
press release : Commission proposes signing the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Animals during International Transport
The Commission has undertaken to raise the issue of animal welfare in the new WTO negotiating
round. However, during the negotiations in Seattle in 1999 there was no support for the approach as proposed by the
Community. The Commission continued nonetheless to work towards international
acceptance of animal welfare
concerns during the WTO
ministerial conference in Doha in November 2001.
The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) provides
an Animal Welfare Gateway at the following address : http://www.fao.org/ag/AGA/AW/AW.htm or this link
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