Transport of piglets

EU Citizens Want More Information About Animal Welfare on Labelling 

Read more in the new European Commission study

11.4.2022

11 April 2022 – A new European Commission study shows that two thirds of EU citizens want more information and clarity about animal welfare of animal products.

It also highlighted that EU consumers had a low level of knowledge regarding the conditions in which farmed animals are kept and treated. With the vast majority of EU consumers wanting to receive more information about the conditions at the farm and during transport and slaughter. This follows on from last week's report, published by The European Commission, which showed that 92% of the near 60,000 public respondents wanted stronger legislation on animal welfare.

FOUR PAWS, the global animal welfare organisation, has long been calling a European Union wide uniform approach for animal welfare labelling.

"We are seeing a growing consensus across the EU that people want wholesale advancements on animal welfare. This study shows that the public want more information on a matter they care about. It is about transparency and options.

Currently 16 of the 27 EU Member States have no national-level labelling scheme with animal welfare claims. By having uniformity across all Member States on this issue we can begin to develop a progressive and more informative choice for the consumer of 450 million people.

The EU institutions have listened, but it is now time for them to act and ensure mandatory labelling.”

said Dr Alexandra Joos, Expert on Farm Animal Welfare at FOUR PAWS

Learn more about the study

Background:

FOUR PAWS calls for:

  • a mandatory labelling of all animal-derived food products, including processed food, retail, and out-of-home-consumption
  • a labelling system which defines tiers focussing on animal needs and clearly communicating the animal welfare status
  • to reach a first animal welfare level (and thus any kind of subsidies) any intervention and environment causing stress, pain or suffering for the animals need to be excluded as minimum
  • a reduction of the number of farm animals to be able to meet species specific as well as environmental needs
  • 3Rs principle: Reduce, Refine and Replace

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FOUR PAWS is the global animal welfare organisation for animals under direct human influence, which reveals suffering, rescues animals in need and protects them. Founded in 1988 in Vienna by Heli Dungler and friends, the organisation advocates for a world where humans treat animals with respect, empathy and understanding. The sustainable campaigns and projects of FOUR PAWS focus on companion animals including stray dogs and cats, farm animals and wild animals – such as bears, big cats and orangutans – kept in inappropriate conditions as well as in disaster and conflict zones. With offices in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, the UK, the USA and Vietnam as well as sanctuaries for rescued animals in eleven countries, FOUR PAWS provides rapid help and long-term solutions. www.four-paws.org

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