Strasbourg, 16 February 2022 – A European Parliament report on animal welfare was passed yesterday evening which set out to address the implementation of EU legislation on the welfare of food-producing animals.

FOUR PAWS, the global animal welfare organisation, called it yet “a tangible failure to fundamentally tackle the significant and urgent issues of animal welfare at EU level.”

Ahead of the vote, several major animal welfare NGOs had sent an open letter, urging all MEPs to vote against the report. Yesterday, the report passed with only minor amendments.

The Report was criticised not only for ignoring scientific knowledge but also for being out of scope and biased.

Sultana highlighted the key points, “The implementation report focused heavily on the economic needs and interests of farmers and the topic of labelling rather than the actual implementation of animal welfare legislation and the areas that need improvement. While the needs of farmers and the establishment of an EU labelling scheme are important topics, they are outside the scope for this report.”

A particularly sore spot in the eyes of animal welfare experts was the mention of Foie Gras production as an animal friendly practice.

Sultana concluded, “Not only has the European Commission’s Scientific Committee for Animal Health and Welfare conclude that the housing and management of animals for Foie Gras production has a negative impact on their welfare, but the European Parliament has already called on the European Commission to ban the force feeding of ducks and geese. This report contradicts that completely, we need clarity and consistency on such an important and obvious matter.”