Animal welfare is one of those rare issues that is neither left nor right. Across the political spectrum and irrespective of nationality, you’ll always find politicians who care about the plight of animals; it is certainly not the exclusive domain of the Greens and the Left.
Dr. Joanna Swabe is senior director of public affairs for Humane Society International/Europe.
Over the years, I’ve encountered highly conservative right-wing MEPs for whom animal welfare is paramount given their devout religious belief in stewardship, Christian-Democrats who embrace vegetarianism out of concern for farm animal suffering and staunch liberals who pour their hearts into campaigns against wildlife trade.
In too many cases, though, the compassion of politicians towards animals is a bit more selective, in keeping with the Orwellian adage that “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” For example, while EPP coryphées recently trumpeted their support for legislative action to end the illegal puppy trade, they and their political group colleagues have proved far less enthusiastic about improving the lot of pigs and poultry kept on Europe’s farms.
Such a lack of willingness of politicians to stick their heads above the political parapet to campaign for better welfare conditions for farm animals is incongruous given the sheer strength of citizen support for animal welfare, not to mention the unequivocal scientific evidence on the necessity of improving the conditions under which farm animals live.
Despite what the ag lobby would have one believe, concern for animal well-being is not the sole preserve of oat-milk latte-drinking urban elites who have never set foot on a farm. Indeed, a poll carried out last year by Savanta in rural communities in ten Member States found that nearly two-thirds of respondents supported the Commission’s Farm to Fork Strategy plans to improve animal welfare during live transport, slaughter and the keeping of animals for economic purposes. Likewise, the 2023 Eurobarometer on attitudes of Europeans to animal welfare confirmed that the vast majority of Europeans (84%) believe that the welfare of farm animals should be better protected.
With so many EU citizens from so many different walks of life voicing concern for animal welfare, the question is why is this not being better translated into political action? Could it be that some political factions are more inclined to kowtow to industry interests than to acknowledge the well-founded concerns of ordinary citizens? Do they fear losing the support of rural voters to populist parties if they deign to back much-needed legislative reforms to improve farm animal welfare?
Or is it purely a matter of political prioritisation? Is this why protecting the welfare and interests of billions of animals kept for economic purposes, not to mention those used in scientific research and product testing, traded as commodities or who live in the wild, often ends up being relegated to the bottom of the pile? Are animals still viewed as a minority or trivial interest despite such pervasive citizen support?
The upcoming European Elections offer a golden opportunity for political parties and prospective MEPs across the board to demonstrate that they are truly taking heed of citizens’ concerns about animal welfare. It is a chance for them to make concrete political commitments to protecting animals and show constituents that this is a political priority.
With the European Commission having failed to fully deliver on its Farm to Fork commitments to adopt legislative proposals to revise and expand the scope of existing EU animal welfare legislation, there is a greater need than ever for politicians from across the political spectrum to rise to the occasion and lead the way toward meaningful change for animals.
Right now, the Commission’s party line is that its undelivered legislative proposals have not permanently been kicked into the long grass, and that the preparatory work for the promised proposals on the welfare of farm animals, including the phase-out of caged confinement to which it committed to in response to the End the Cage Age ECI, is ongoing.
We are told the Commission is assessing whether the transition to cage-free farming is sustainable for the agricultural sector and that further consultations on issues including the costs and length of transition periods are needed. These will apparently take place in the context of the much-hyped new strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture in the EU.
After so much time, these assurances are not really satisfactory for the millions of laying hens still confined to enriched battery cages and the millions of pigs who continue to languish in individual sow stalls for a significant proportion of their gestation and farrowing periods. They should not have to wait any longer for policy makers to take decisive action to provide them – and all the other species farmed for food – with housing systems that meet their complex welfare needs.
It is vital that political parties and electoral candidates in all 27 Member States take up the gauntlet and make the advancement of protection for animals a key priority for the 10th Parliamentary Term. This is why animal organisations throughout the Union are pushing hard to situate animal protection as an electoral issue, and developing policy asks that would meaningfully help to safeguard the welfare of animals in the EU. One such example is Humane Society International/Europe’s manifesto specifically crafted to assist policymakers in fostering a more compassionate and ethical society.
In its 2024-2029 term, the European Parliament must provide a strong political voice for voiceless animals, and exert pressure on President von der Leyen to deliver on this Commission’s unmet animal welfare commitments before the end of its mandate. At the same time, it must take steps to ensure that the successive Commission leadership pursues decisive policy action to better protect animals not just on farms, but also in laboratories and in the wild. Action, not further deliberation, is the need of the moment, and the need of the future.
