Brussels/ 03 October 2024 – Unweaned calves transported for up to 21 hours without enough food or water, laying hens spending their entire life in cages the size of approximately an A4 page, and more than eight million foxes, minks, racoons and other animals killed each year for their fur. This is just a glimpse of some of the realities of animals in Europe.

The photo exhibition “Silent Suffering” exposes the hidden cruelties animals are facing behind closed doors in the European Union (EU) every day. Co-organised by FOUR PAWS and Eurogroup for Animals, an exclusive viewing event was held at the Royal Library of Belgium in Brussels on the 1st of October and brought together Members of the European Parliament, along with other policy-makers and animal advocates from across Europe.

“This exhibition is a visual reminder of the suffering that animals in Europe continue to face, often behind closed doors, silently. These sentient beings don’t have a voice in politics, but citizens do, and they have been vocal in their calls for better animal welfare legislation, one that adequately protects animals across their lifetime. We ask the European Commission to not look away, and to prioritise this issue in this term by revising the entire animal welfare legislation - there can be no more delays, commented Reineke Hameleers, CEO, Eurogroup for Animals.

Featuring photographs across nine categories, including cage-farming, transport, broilers, aquatics, fur farming, animals used in science, large carnivores, pets and trade issues, the exhibition depicts the ongoing suffering for animals of all kinds - wild, farmed, aquatic and companion animals.

Over 16 animal welfare organisations, members of  Eurogroup for Animals’ network and partner organisations contributed the images from their investigations and activities on the ground.

Loud Call for a revision of animal welfare

While the EU should be a frontrunner in animal welfare, billions of animals continue to endure pain and distress, while prevented from exhibiting their natural behaviours, as outdated EU legislation falls severely short of ensuring adequate protection.

In the past term, the European Commission has publicly committed to revising the EU animal welfare legislation, including a ban on cages, regulating the keeping of animals, transport, slaughter and labelling. In addition, a European Citizens’ Initiative was submitted, asking for a ban of fur farming.

To call for the urgent delivery of the long overdue revision and improved animal welfare, on 2 October, a group of representatives of animal welfare organisations across Europe gathered in front of the European Commission. Such delay continues to maintain the everyday suffering of animals as a status quo.

Press Contacts

Vera Mair,  PR International Officer, FOUR PAWS International – gemeinnützige Privatstiftung
vera.mair@vier-pfoten.org
+43 664 4090 516

Theresa Bonnici, Press Officer, Eurogroup for Animals
t.bonnici@eurogroupforanimals.org
+32 (0) 456 421 199

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. FOUR PAWS’ sustainable campaigns and projects 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, Germany, France, 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.

Eurogroup for Animals represents over ninety animal protection organisations in almost all EU Member States, the UK, Switzerland, Serbia, Norway, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, India, Kenya, South Africa, Thailand, Türkiye Ukraine, United States, Venezuela and Australia. Since its foundation in 1980, the organisation has succeeded in encouraging the EU to adopt higher legal standards for animal protection. Eurogroup for Animals reflects public opinion through its members and has both the scientific and technical expertise to provide authoritative advice on issues relating to animal protection. Eurogroup for Animals is a founding member of the World Federation for Animals which unites the animal protection movement at the global level.