DG SANCO Conference Solves Animal Welfare and Fair Competition for Foodstuff Producers

The proposal for a Council Regulation on the protection of animals at the time of killing is a response to the missing harmonised methodology for slaughtering and killing animals. It will be based on the latest scientific findings. The proposal also remedies the rather unclear duties of slaughterhouse operators and in some cases the identified lack of qualification of slaughterhouse employees and the unsatisfactory treatment of animals.

 

‘We consider it important that the change in the legal tool from a directive to a regulation will lead toward a unified use of rules,’ Minister Gandalovic said.‘Thus the differences in implementation caused by varying national provisions will be removed.’

 

In relation to conditions during animal transport, the Presidency considers it important, both in terms of animal welfare and consumer protection, to harmonise transport conditions also outside the EU. In order for the animal welfare conditions to be observed, it would be appropriate to use primarily local, i.e. national, slaughterhouses and to transport only raw materials or products of animal origin. Reducing long-distance transport of animals for slaughter respects animal welfare as well as economic factors. It is necessary to evaluate the relation between international trade and animal welfare conditions from the viewpoint of safeguarding the competitive advantage of breeders in the EU. In international trade (particularly under the WTO) different levels of animal protection standards are not widely accepted as a reason for introducing trade barriers.

 

At the same time, however, the EU rules are the most demanding in this area when compared to the leading world producers of foodstuff of animal origin. The EU strives to support increasing animal protection standards worldwide in the interest of general animal welfare as well as in the interest of fair conditions for the foodstuff producers who compete on the world market. Any introduction of additional legal norms on animal welfare should take this factor into account.