ifaw welcomes EU Member States' call for a renewed animal welfare strategy

Ministers of Agriculture meeting in Brussels earlier this week encouraged the European Commission to work on a new strategy for animal welfare to promote animal welfare in the EU and as far as possible beyond the EU. This historic call to action was included in the Council Conclusions on a report by the European Court of Auditors “Animal welfare in the EU: closing the gap between ambitious goals and practical implementation”.

IFAW is extremely pleased with the Council’s position as the EU animal welfare strategy ran out in 2015 and new policy initiatives came to a standstill despite scientific research and evidence that animal suffering is continuing in Europe for millions of farm animals, wildlife and animals kept as pets.

The European Union has some of the highest welfare standards in the world, however enforcement by Member States is an ongoing challenge and many animal species are still not protected by legislation.

“As an international organization, we have seen the EU take a leadership role in animal welfare worldwide in the last 20 years, but in the last Commission this came to a halt," said Staci McLennan, EU Office Director for IFAW. "European citizens care deeply about how animals are treated and they expect their politicians to take action. A new strategy will translate the commitment for animal welfare as described in the EU Treaty, which obliges the EU to take full consideration of animal welfare when drafting policy," she added.

The European Court of Auditors report and recommendations focuses mainly on farm animal welfare, but IFAW considers that the welfare of wildlife and companion animals also need to be addressed in the new strategy. High animal welfare standards in society is better for animals, for people, for business and overall sustainability.