R8: Animal welfare resolution

AlthoughWith the use of animals comes a moral responsibility where the animals' needs as sentient beings must be respected. Good animal husbandry and welfare are not just about avoidance of suffering in the form of stress, fear, frustration, pain, injuries and illness. They are about exposing animals to positive experiences and making sure they can express behaviours that are normal for them in their natural habitats.

Animals are beings with intrinsic value regardless of the benefit for humans. Furthermore, the question of animal welfare is at the same time broader than that of individual animal welfare. All over the world, we witness the effects of animals being exploited for short-term financial interests.

With the use of animals comes a moral responsibility where the animals' needs as sentient beings must be respected. Good animal husbandry and welfare are not just about avoidance of suffering in the form of stress, fear, frustration, pain, injuries and illness. They are about exposing animals to positive experiences and making sure they can express behaviours that are normal for them in their natural habitats.

With the use of animals comes a moral responsibility where the animals' needs as sentient beings must be respected. Good animal husbandry and welfare are not just about avoidance of suffering in the form of stress, fear, frustration, pain, injuries and illness. They are about exposing animals to positive experiences and making sure they can express behaviours that are normal for them in their natural habitats.

The fight against poor animal welfare is also a fight against the global agroindustry. As European Greens we support small scale agriculture and regional supply chains. We want less but better animal farming. Only a system change can guarantee good animal husbandry, high food quality and a healthy planet.

This is most obvious in the area of ​​antibiotics, where more antibiotics are still being used globally on healthy animals than for treating people with illnesses.
To a large extent, antibiotics, one of our most valuable medicines, are used pre-emptively rather than when needed, often to compensate for poor animal husbandry. An improved regulatory framework to address this issue within the EU is in progress but there is no efficient global regulatory framework to limit abuse of antibiotics, as seen in many countries. It is important that there is reliable and available data on the use of antibiotics down to the farm level to enable improved incentives, bold policy decisions and consumer action to reduce the risk of resistance to antibiotics. To reduce the need to use antibiotics in animal husbandry, it is crucial to improve the animal welfare in husbandry systems and to end high-performance breeding.

This is most obvious in the area of ​​antibiotics, where more antibiotics are still being used globally on healthy animals than for treating people with illnesses.
To a large extent, antibiotics, one of our most valuable medicines, are used pre-emptively rather than when needed, often to compensate for poor animal husbandry. An improved regulatory framework to address this issue within the EU is in progress but there is no efficient global regulatory framework to limit abuse of antibiotics, as seen in many countries. It is important that there is reliable and available data on the use of antibiotics down to the farm level to enable improved incentives, bold policy decisions and consumer action to reduce the risk of resistance to antibiotics.We will support a ban on the non-medicinal use of antibiotics in livestock.

Zoonoses, ( which are diseases or infectious agents that can spread between animals and humans) make up approximately 75% of all new infectious diseases suffered by humans. No one will forget the new coronavirus which has caused the COVID-19 disease. The first outbreaks were linked to a market in the Chinese city of Wuhan that was selling live animals, both wild and domesticated.

The risk of new zoonotic diseases also increases in areas where natural habitats are destroyed by, for example, cultivation or the expansion of livestock husbandry. Encroachment into wildlife habitats also occurs through the completely unregulated international trade in wildlife and exotic animals.
Although the explanation for the connection is not entirely clear, in some cases at least it is linked to environmental change which, in turn, leads to a sharp increase in certain species harbouring viruses which can potentially be transmitted to people.

The risk of new zoonotic diseases also increases in areas where natural habitats are destroyed by, for example, cultivation or the expansion of livestock husbandry.
Although the explanation for the connection is not entirely clear, in some cases at least it is linked to environmental change which, in turn, leads to a sharp increase in certain species harbouring viruses which can potentially be transmitted to people.

Transport and trade

Transporting animals often involves a great deal of stress, suffering and death.
We believe that both the number of journeys and the time the animals are transported must be minimised. We want the European Union to adopt a maximum transport time of 8 hours for live animals in Europe for all transport modes, of 4 hours for rabbits and poultry, as well as a transport ban of unweaned animals and pregnant animals in the last third of gestation. In addition, we call on a ban on the export of live animals to third countries who do not respect similar animal welfare standards as in the European Union.

Transporting animals for reasons such as, production, slaughter, or breeding, often involves a great deal of stress, suffering and death.
We believe that both the number of journeys and the time the animals are transported must be minimised.

Animals should always be slaughtered at the nearest slaughterhouse. We want to facilitate mobile slaughterhouses and make eight hours the maximum transportation time. If the transport time to the nearest slaughterhouse exceeds eight hours, it can be extended by a maximum of three hours. The upcoming revision of the Animal Transport Regulation should be the occasion to introduce a maximum transport time of 8 hours for live animals in Europe for all transport modes, of 4 hours for rabbits and poultry, a ban on the transport of unweaned animals, of pregnant animals during the last third of gestation, and a ban on the export of live animals to third countries who do not respect animal welfare standards as high as the EU does. Using the nearest slaughterhouse, developing mobile slaughterhouses and developing the transport of genetic material instead of live animals for reproduction offer solutions to concretely reduce long-distance transport.

Animals should always be slaughtered at the nearest slaughterhouse. We want to facilitate mobile slaughterhouses and make eight hours the maximum transportation time. If the transport time to the nearest slaughterhouse exceeds eight hours, it can be extended by a maximum of three hours.

Animals should always be slaughtered at the nearest slaughterhouse. We want to facilitate mobile slaughterhouses and make eight hours the maximum transportation time. If the transport time to the nearest slaughterhouse exceeds eight hours, it can be extended by a maximum of three hours.time in general, and four hours the maximum transportation time for poultry. Furthermore, we need a ban for transports of unweaned animals.

Animals should always be slaughtered at the nearest slaughterhouse. We want to facilitate mobile slaughterhouses and make eight hours the maximum transportation time. If the transport time to the nearest slaughterhouse exceeds eight hours, it can be extended by a maximum of three hours.

Illegal puppy mills and the trade of exotic animals as pets violate animal welfare and create suffering, which should be determinedly addressed and prevented through improved regulation and trade control internationally. The target is to put an end to all illegal trade and transport of animals.

Animals should always be slaughtered at the nearest slaughterhouse. We want to facilitate mobile slaughterhouses and make eight hours the maximum transportation time. If the transport time to the nearest slaughterhouse exceeds eight hours, it can be extended by a maximum of three hours.Animals should be slaughtered at the nearest slaughterhouse and we need an increase of regional slaughterhouses. We want to facilitate mobile slaughterhouses and on farm-slaughter. The transport of genetic material instead of live animals for reproduction also offers solutions to concretely reduce long-distance transport.

Animals should always be slaughtered at the nearest slaughterhouse. We want to facilitate mobile slaughterhouses and make eight hours the maximum transportation time. If the transport time to the nearest slaughterhouse exceeds eight hours, it can be extended by a maximum of three hours.

End animal testing

In 2010, the European Union adopted the goal to fully replace animal testing with alternative methods, yet, every year, millions of animals are still being used for regulatory testing, research and education. Even if the EU introduced a ban on animal testing for cosmetic ingredients, the European Chemical Agency is asking for new tests on animals. We believe that using animal testing for the production of cosmetics is unnecessary and cruel and 72% of citizens in the EU wants to put an end to this practice.

Every year, across the European Union alone, around 300 million farmed animals are confined in cages. Unable to pursue many of their natural behaviours, these animals are treated as nothing more than production units, not as living beings.

Every year, across the European Union, around 300 million farmed animals are confined in cages. Unable to pursue many of their natural behaviours, these animals are treated as nothing more than production units, not as living beings. Macro-farms which aim at maximising the economic profit on the basis of the concentration of livestock and saving on the husbandry costs are a severe threat to environment and become an extremely unfair competition to ecological farming.

Over 170 organisations have joined forces with citizens across Europe to spearhead the End the Cage Age European Citizens’ Initiative. We must now ensure a total ban on caged farming is delivered, as soon as possible,
to secure a cage-free Europe.

Wildlife trafficking
Wildlife trafficking is the third most lucrative trade in the world. It is devastating for species and a source of great suffering for animals. It often relies on the ignorance of people and the greed of traffickers. It is essential to strengthen the information of citizens and to provide the means, in particular legislative, to suppress trafficking.

Over 170 organisations have joined forces with citizens across Europe to spearhead the End the Cage Age European Citizens’ Initiative. We must now ensure a total ban on caged farming is delivered, as soon as possible,
to secure a cage-free Europe.

Slaughter
Protecting animal welfare during slaughter involves minimizing the pain, distress or suffering of farm animals at the time of killing. Slaughterhouse personnel must put in place a whole series of specific procedures. For example, he must carry out regular checks to ensure that the animals show no signs of consciousness or sensibility between the end of stunning and killing. If animals have been killed without prior stunning, systematic checks must be carried out to ensure that the animals show no signs of consciousness or sensibility before ending their restraint and show no signs of life before dressing or scalding.

Over 170 organisations have joined forces with citizens across Europe to spearhead the End the Cage Age European Citizens’ Initiative. We must now ensure a total ban on caged farming is delivered, as soon as possible,
to secure a cage-free Europe.

Animal experimentation
In order to make the "3Rs" rule (reduce, refine, replace) effective in terms of animal experimentation, it is essential to create impartial and transparent evaluation structures, to produce regular information, to supervise and control both breeders and research projects, and to develop alternative methods.

Over 170 organisations have joined forces with citizens across Europe to spearhead the End the Cage Age European Citizens’ Initiative. We must now ensure a total ban on caged farming is delivered, as soon as possible,
to secure a cage-free and slattet floor pen free Europe.