DIRECTORATE GENERAL FOR INTERNAL POLICIES POLICY DEPARTMENT C: CITIZENS' RIGHTS AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS PETITIONS Animal Welfare in the European Union STUDY Abstract This study, commissioned by the Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs upon request of the Committee on Petitions, finds out that EU animal welfare policy and legislation has had much positive influence in the world, on the image of the EU as well as helping animals. However, most kinds of animals kept in the EU are not covered by legislation, including some of the worst animal welfare problems, so a general animal welfare law and specific laws on several species are needed. Animal sentience and welfare should be mentioned, using accurate scientific terminology, in many trade-related laws as well as in animal-specific laws. PE 583.114 EN ABOUT THE PUBLICATION This research paper was requested by the European Parliament's Committee on Petitions and commissioned, supervised and published by the Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs. Policy departments provide independent expertise, both in-house and externally, to support European Parliament committees and other parliamentary bodies in shaping legislation and exercising democratic scrutiny over EU external and internal policies. To contact the Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs, or to subscribe to its newsletter, please write to: [email protected] Research Administrator Responsible Ottavio MARZOCCHI Policy Department C: Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs European Parliament B-1047 Brussels E-mail: [email protected] AUTHOR Emeritus Professor Donald M. BROOM Department of Veterinary Medicine University of Cambridge Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ES U.K. LINGUISTIC VERSIONS Original: EN Manuscript completed in January 2017. © European Union, 2017 This document is available on the internet at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/supporting-analyses DISCLAIMER The opinions expressed in this document are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position of the European Parliament. Reproduction and translation for non-commercial purposes are authorised, provided the source is acknowledged and the publisher is given prior notice and sent a copy. Animal Welfare in the European Union ____________________________________________________________________________________________ CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 6 LIST OF TABLES 8 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 9 1. INTRODUCTION 13 1.1. Plan of the Study 13 1.2. The Author 13 1.3. References to Petitions and Publications 13 2. THE SCIENTIFIC CONCEPT OF ANIMAL WELFARE 14 2.1. Welfare and related concepts 14 2.2. Welfare, ethics and rights 16 2.3. The use of welfare-related concepts in EU documents. 16 3. WELFARE AS PART OF SUSTAINABILITY AND PRODUCT QUALITY 18 3.1. The Concept of Sustainability 18 3.2. Changing ideas about product quality 19 3.3. Opportunities for animal industries 19 4. WELFARE IN RELATION TO HEALTH 20 4.1. The terms health and welfare 20 4.2. Disease – welfare interactions 21 5. ONE HEALTH AND ONE WELFARE 22 6. A BRIEF HISTORY OF EU ANIMAL WELFARE LEGISLATION AND POLICIES 24 6.1. Legislation 24 6.2. Other policies 27 7. INTERNATIONAL EFFECTS OF EU ANIMAL WELFARE POLICIES AND LEGISLATION 28 7.1. Animal welfare, respect for the EU and the W.T.O. 28 7.2. The impact of EU decision-making after factual investigation. 29 7.3. EU animal welfare policy and world organisations 30 7.4. Effects of EU calf welfare legislation on third countries 31 7.5. Effects of EU poultry welfare legislation on third countries 31 7.6. Effects of EU pig welfare legislation on third countries 31 3 Policy Department C: Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 7.7. Effects of EU welfare of animals during transport legislation on third countries. 32 7.8. Effects of EU welfare of animals at slaughter legislation on third countries. 32 7.9. Effects of EU laboratory animal welfare legislation on third countries. 33 7.10. Effects of EU welfare of animals in relation to performance-enhancing drugs, cloning and genetic modification legislation on third countries. 33 8. PUBLIC ATTITUDES TO ANIMAL WELFARE AND THE VALUE OF EU ANIMAL WELFARE LEGISLATION TO CONSUMERS AND TO THE ANIMAL USER INDUSTRIES 35 8.1. Attitudes to animals 35 8.2. Public concern about animal welfare 36 8.3. Attitudes of animal users 36 8.4. Attitudes to animal welfare and consumer pressure 37 8.5. The value of EU animal welfare legislation to consumers 38 8.6. The value of EU animal welfare legislation to the animal user industries 40 9. ANIMAL WELFARE LEGISLATION, ENFORCEMENT AND IMPACT ON ANIMALS 42 9.1. Animal products and welfare: laws, standards and enforcement 42 9.2. Welfare during transport: laws, standards and enforcement 43 9.3. Welfare during slaughter: laws, standards and enforcement 44 9.4. Actual effects of laws, standards and enforcement on animal welfare 45 9.5. Animal welfare consequences of costs of compliance with laws and imports from third countries 46 10. DEFICIENCIES IN CURRENT EU ANIMAL WELFARE LEGISLATION AND POLICY 47 10.1.The generality of EU animal welfare legislation and policy 47 10.2.Scientific reports on animal welfare by EFSA and predecessors which have not led to legislation 48 10.3.In the EU, which animals are kept in greatest numbers? 49 10.4.The extent of animal welfare problems and EU legislation 49 10.5.The wording of EU legislation directly concerning animal welfare. 52 10.6.Other EU legislation which might affect animal welfare. 53 11. RECENT CHANGES IN EU ANIMAL WELFARE POLICY AND THEIR POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES 54 11.1.Brief description of recent changes in animal welfare policy 54 11.2.Consequences of the changes: general areas 55 4 Animal Welfare in the European Union ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 11.3.Consequences of the changes: better enforcement and education 55 11.4.Consequences of the changes: no general animal welfare law 56 11.5.Consequence of the changes: animals that are not protected 56 11.6.Consequence of the changes: the balance between actions to enforce laws and to enact new legislation 57 12. POSSIBILITIES FOR FUTURE EU ANIMAL WELFARE POLICY 58 12.1.Enforcement and education 58 12.2.Welfare science research 59 12.3.Inclusion of animal welfare and sentience in all relevant legislation 59 12.4.An animal welfare law 60 12.5.Priorities for new EU legislation 60 REFERENCES 62 ANNEX 1 - ANIMAL WELFARE GAPS IN EU LEGISLATION AND POLICY 73 5 Policy Department C: Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs ____________________________________________________________________________________________ LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS BST Bovine somatotrophin BTSF Better Training for Safer Food COPA- Committee of Professional Agricultural Organisations and General COGECA Committee for Agricultural Cooperation in the European Union CAP Common Agricultural Policy CIWF Compassion in World Farming DEFRA Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, U.K. DG Directorate General of European Commission ECLAM European College of Laboratory Animal Medicine EEPTA European Egg Packers and Traders Association EEPA European Egg Processors Association EFPIA European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations EFSA European Food Safety Authority ESLAV European Society for Laboratory Animal Veterinarians EU European Union Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal SCAHAW Welfare EU SVC European Union Scientific Veterinary Committee FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations FVE Federation of Veterinarians of Europe GM Genetically-modified IFC International Finance Corporation IGF-1 Insulin-like growth factor-1 ISAE International Society for Applied Ethology NERC Natural Environment Research Council, U.K. OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development 6 Animal Welfare in the European Union ____________________________________________________________________________________________ RSPCA Royal Society for the Protection of Animals OIE World Organisation for Animal Health, Organisation mondiale de la santé anima Sanidad Animal WTO World Trade Organization 7 Policy Department C: Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs ____________________________________________________________________________________________ LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1: Some EU Directives and Regulations relevant to animal welfare 25 TABLE 2 : Evidence for increased concern about animal welfare 36 TABLE 3: Examples of EU scientific reports and opinions on animal welfare not yet followed by legislation 48 8 Animal Welfare in the European Union ____________________________________________________________________________________________ EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Background EU citizens are becoming increasingly concerned that all kinds of production systems and other activities should be sustainable. Animal welfare is an important aspect of sustainability, and also of product quality, and may result in consumers refusing to buy products. The welfare of an individual is its state as regards its attempts to cope with its environment. Welfare includes feelings and health and can be measured scientifically. It is a biological concept, quite different from rights, and refers only to living animals. The terms welfare, stress, needs, humane and euthanasia are defined and some of the ways in which they are