Saving Sentience: the Status of Farm Animal Welfare Within EU Law
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Saving Sentience: The Status of Farm Animal Welfare Within EU Law Master Thesis European Union Law – Tilburg University 2020 Author: S.A.J.C. (Sander) Wagemakers Student number: U1273699 University: Tilburg University Faculty: Tilburg Law School Department: Department of Public Law and Governance (PLG) Study: LLM European Union Law Date: 24 April 2020 Supervisor: Dr. F.M. Fleurke Co-supervisor: J.S.V. Dubrulle LL. M Second reader: Prof. H. Somsen Copyright © 2020 by S.A.J.C. Wagemakers Cite as: S.A.J.C. Wagemakers, Saving Sentience: The Status of Farm Animal Welfare Law Within EU Law (Master thesis Tilburg), Tilburg: Tilburg University 2020 Cover image: Noël-Nicolas Coypel III (1722), The Rape of Europa (Primary Title). Virginia Museum of Fine Art, retrieved from vmfa.musuem. Cover design: Bohdy Rottier PREFACE In front of you lies my master thesis on the status of EU farm animal welfare law from both a legal historical and legal doctrinal perspective. For me, a milestone in my life. It entails the completion of my master’s and ushers in the start of my legal professional career. Ironically, the subject of this thesis coincides with the beginning of my educational path. I started my educational pilgrimage with a pre-vocational education degree in animal care. After this, I finished my senior secondary vocational education as paraveterinary assistant. Subsequently, I took another path by obtaining my bachelor of laws, completing my pre-master in Dutch Law, and earning my master’s in both Dutch Law and, with the completion of this thesis, in European Union Law. So, from paraveterinary assistant to a master thesis on EU farm animal welfare law, who could have imagined that? What I like about this thesis is that it integrates my interest in legal history, EU law, and animal welfare. My research also brought me into contact with other lawyers and scholars on various related subjects. Of course, the process of writing this thesis was hard as I wanted to conduct extensive research on this subject. However, I have no regrets and I am proud of my work. I hope it is very informative and inspires others to continue the development of animal welfare law. In this preface, I would like to thank in particular my supervisors Dr. Fleurke and Ms. Dubrulle LL. M for their critical feedback on my writing skills, methodology, and legal arguments. I really appreciated their support and sincere interest in my research subject. I also want to thank them for respecting my decision to do two legal internships in Brussels at AKD Benelux Lawyers and Houthoff. Of course, this decision postponed my thesis. However, it also allowed me to develop my legal knowledge and professional skills. Living in Brussels also enriched my personal development as it broadened my perspective and resulted in new friendships. Furthermore, I would like to thank my friends for their support and shown interest in my research. In particular, I want to thank my dear friends Lianne, Lizzy, Lucas, Manon, and Valesca for their critical feedback. Also, SO to Bohdy for designing the cover of my thesis. Finally, I want to express my gratitude to my parents. Their unconditional support and belief in me kept me motivated from the start of my pre-vocational education until my master’s. Lastly, I have some concluding remarks. I never would have thought to live in a time with so many challenges for the EU. Brexit, the rise of radical-right parties as part of the political mainstream, the destruction of liberal democracy in Hungary, and anthropogenic climate change. Furthermore, the current COVID-19 pandemic will have enormous social and economic consequences, which will influence the debate on European integration and the reshaping of the European economic system. It feels like we are approaching a decisive point for the future of the EU. On the other hand, anthropogenic climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrate our need for global cooperation. These challenges also question the effects of our global governance and economic system on the planet, which hopefully could lead to changing policies. Now, my thesis only focuses on the protection of farm animal welfare. However, this issue cannot be seen separately from the way that we conduct animal husbandry in relationship with our planet. Therefore, I call upon lawyers to come up with legal initiatives to address both current and upcoming challenges. Protect the rule of law, protect our planet, and protect animals as they are sentient beings. S.A.J.C. (Sander) Wagemakers 28 April 2020 Roosendaal (The Netherlands) 1 SUMMARY This thesis explores the status of farm animal welfare within EU law with regard to its protection on both the EU and Member State level. As one of the biggest traders of live animals and producers of animal products, the EU has a significant influence on farm animal welfare. However, there are growing animal welfare concerns about the current system of animal husbandry. These concerns are strengthened by upcoming challenges, such as the growing demand for meat and anthropogenic climate change. Therefore, this thesis conducts both a legal historical and doctrinal analysis to assess the status of farm animal welfare protection within EU law. The legal historical analysis discusses the position of animals and the development of EU animal welfare. It concludes that the teleological anthropocentric perspective on animals changed after WWII when the EU adopted an animal welfare framework based on both utilitarian and deontological motives. This resulted in the recognition of animals as sentient being within EU primary law. Subsequently, the legal doctrinal research assesses the protection of EU farm animal welfare within Article 13 TFEU, seven relevant secondary laws, the CAP, and case-law. It also discusses the improvement of farm animal welfare protection through positive integration and to what extent Member States can enact domestic farm animal welfare measures, in respect to EU law. This thesis concludes that the status of farm animals and their welfare requirements within EU law is ambiguous. On the one hand, EU law provides a unique, yet fragmented, legal framework and acknowledge animals as sentient beings. Article 13 TFEU thereby imposes a constitutional obligation on the EU and the Member States and provides a regulatory competence, which legitimizes farm animal welfare measures. Furthermore, secondary farm animal welfare law provides animal-based benchmarks and observes the four different welfare objectives, though, not always integrally. On the other hand, EU law qualifies animals as products. Also, the current minimum provisions are inadequate to provide an ‘interest-based’ level of protection. This caused by the economic context in which animal husbandry operates, which is incompatible with the notion of animals as sentient beings. Finally, Member States can impose higher animal welfare standards. Furthermore, the Wouters-exception allows Member States to provide a derogation from EU competition law by imposing animal welfare obligations on undertakings through public law. However, they cannot restrict the free movement of goods due to the extensive harmonization of farm animal welfare law. So, to safeguard the sentient nature of animals adequately, animal husbandry should be ‘interest-based’ and focus less on mass production. Therefore, the CAP should be reformed by including animal welfare as one of its objectives and perceiving animals as members of the agricultural community. Also, the current animal welfare instruments should be updated according to recent scientific insights. Furthermore, the EU should adopt a general ‘interest-based’ animal welfare regulation. This regulation should observe the integral protection of the four animal welfare objectives and incorporate Gygax’s & Hillmann’s concept of ‘naturalness’ as the basis for “good” animal welfare. Moreover, the regulation should impose a duty of care on Member States, business operators, and other stakeholders. It should also provide a derogation scheme from Article 101(1) TFEU based on animal welfare. Finally, the European legislator should clarify its moral stance on animal welfare to establish its desired level of animal welfare and quantify certain benchmarks. Hence, EU law does not protect farm animal welfare conclusively but does provide the means to improve and enhance it in order to safeguard the status of animals as sentient beings. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE................................................................................................................................... 1 SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................ 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................................. 3 LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ 6 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................................. 7 1 RESEARCH INTRODUCTION................................................................................................... 8 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 8 1.2 Socio-economic problem............................................................................................... 9 1.3 Legal problem.............................................................................................................11