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In post-EU referendum Britain we need to stand together for animal welfare more than ever, say the UK’s Green MEPs in their latest animal protection newsletter ‘Making Tracks‘.

This edition of the newsletter from Jean Lambert, Molly Scott Cato and Keith Taylor includes articles on:

• badger culls
• the threat from TTIP to animal welfare
• the fight against live exports
• the impacts of Brexit on farming and the UK countryside

Jean Lambert, Green MEP for London says: “EU rules help keep precious species as nature intended. The vote to leave the EU puts our wildlife at risk. Green MEPs, in any renegotiation, will fight to keep these vital protections in place in Britain and across Europe.”

You can download this edition of ‘Making Tracks’ or to receive a copy by post please email jeanlambert@greenmeps.org.uk.

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The European Parliament regularly discusses animal welfare issues – and the growing links between the farming sector and environmental damage – and Green MEPs are usually at the forefront of new rules protecting animals and minimising the environmental impact of our food and farming systems.

I hope lots of Londoners are able to get to the Christmas Fayre, which this year runs from 10am to 5pm at Kensington Town Hall.

The huge range of cruelty-free items on offer means that you can do all your Christmas shopping in one place.

But the big plus – apart from the relaxed and friendly atmosphere – is that your money will be going directly to charities, campaign groups and ethical traders who are trying to make a positive difference in the world.

All items on sale are ethically produced, and you can be sure that they have not been tested on animals and do not include any animal ingredients.

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The proposed ban – which will now be considered by the European Commission – will mean fishing fleets in EU waters, and EU fishing fleets operating anywhere in the world, will no longer be able to catch sharks simply to remove their fins for use in traditional ‘Shark Fin Soup’ before dumping the remaining corpse back in the sea.

Ms Lambert said: “I am delighted that MEPs have voted to ban this barbaric and wasteful practice.

“Every year millions of sharks are caught, their fins hacked off, and the bodies simply discarded to meet the demand for the very expensive delicacy of shark fin soup.

“This is not only a senseless waste, it also puts pressure on threatened shark species. The new rules, which effectively close a loophole in EU fishing law, will mean fewer sharks are caught and killed.

“But of course this decision is only one step in the fight to end the cruelty and waste associated with shark fin soup: we need an international ban, not just a European one.”

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Secret filming by leading animal rights organisation, Animal Aid, has uncovered systematic cruelty and brutality inside Britain's slaughterhouses.  Images taken from just one Essex abattoir in April 2012 showed pigs being burnt with cigarettes, animals being punched in the face and seriously injured pigs forced to drag themselves to slaughter.  Covert recordings from eight randomly chosen slaughterhouses tell a similar devestating story and reveal serious breaches of animal welfare laws.

Appalled by the findings of Animal Aid's investigation, Jean has written to the UK Agriculture and Food Minister, James Paice MP, to demand the installation of CCTV cameras in all UK slaughterhouses and for the footage to be made available to independent parties outside of the abattoir [1].  Jean also believes that there should be better training and retraining for slaughterhouse employees, including casual staff.

Jean said: "The shocking scenes uncovered by Animal Aid prove the current abattoir legislation is not being properly implemented.  Animal welfare is of the highest importance, and it is the responsibility of the industry and of Government to ensure that effective monitoring takes place and prosecutions are bought." 

Notes to Editor

1. Jean's letter reads as follows:

I write to urge the UK Government to introduce legislation to make installation of CCTV in UK slaugterhouses mandatory.

You will be aware that secret footage obtained by Animal Aid at 9 slaugterhouses revealed an 89 per cent failure rate and quite shocking abuse, as detailed in Animal Aid's reports and footage.

The footage reveals systematic failure of the current system.  Whilst FSA vets are required to be on the premises, they are not necessarily present at point of slaughter.  Indeed, in 240 hours of film taken throughout entire days in nine slaughterhouses, Animal Aid reported only having seen one vet once, checking three dead animals.  They never witnessed a vet near live animals.

The FSA, RSPCA, Compassion in World Farming and the Soil Association all support installation of CCTV in slaughterhouses, seeing it as an important tool to monitor practice and provide evidence of abuses as prosecutions.

Regarding the EU regulation EC 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing, I understand that the Commission has indicated that this does not preclude Member States from requiring abattoirs to install CCTV cameras.

Legislation is clearly needed to correct the systematic failure of the current regime and the apparently endemic unacceptable levels of animal welfare abuse.  Mandatory CCTV in slaughterhouses has a vital part to play in addressing these failures, and I urge the Government to bring forward relevant legislation.

There is also a need for CCTV footage to be made available to relevant independent parties outside the abattoir, including welfare representatives, and for better independent training and retraining for slaughterhouse employees.

I look forward to your reply. 

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The European Parliament agreed back in 1999 to outlaw keeping hens in conventional battery cages for egg production by 1st January 2012 {1}.  All producers in the UK are expected to be ready for the new law, however around a third of cage eggs from elsewhere in the EU are not expected to come from systems that comply with the new legislation.

Jean said: “The EU laying hens directive gave farmers a generous 12 years to phase out conventional barren battery cages, yet a large number of producers across the EU are not expected to be ready.  This means that an estimated 84 million hens will continue to be kept in the cruel, barren battery cages that the EU has agreed should be banned.

“The European Commission must make sure that this vital piece of animal welfare legislation is effectively implemented so that it can fulfil the aims of improving the lives of laying hens across the EU, protect those farmers who have invested in alternative farming systems and prevent eggs from illegally kept hens ending up on the market.”

In a letter to Commissioner Dalli, Jean and Keith call for the European Commission to:

Work with Member States which are expected to have non-compliant farms to ensure those farmers are unable to continue in egg production from 1 January 2012
Take swift action with meaningful financial penalties against any country with non-complaint egg producers after 1 January 2012
To implement an intra-community trade ban to stop any illegal eggs that could end up on the market being traded outside the countries where they were laid

While the ban outlaws ‘conventional’ barren battery cages, it still allows ‘enriched’ battery cages.  Confined to a wire cage, hens are kept in small groups, with less useable space than an A4 piece of paper each.  Limited facilities will now be provided for scratching, nesting and perching, but hens will still be unable to properly carry out many of their natural behaviours, like dust bathing and foraging.

The Green Party opposes all forms of intensive farming and believes the so-called enriched battery cage should also be banned.

Notes to Editor

The full text of the Council Directive 1999/74/EC protection of laying hens can be read at: http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/food_safety/animal_welfare/l12067_en.htm

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A collective of organisations, including Compassion in World Farming, WSPA and Ben & Jerry’s, have joined forces in calling for new rules on cow welfare, using the recently launched European Citizen’s Initiative [1].  Under the ECI, Europeans are given the power to propose new legislation on a specific issue if they gain the support of one million signatures from around the EU [1].

The proposed EU Directive on Dairy Cow welfare calls for common, specific and enforceable standards across Europe as for laying hens, calves, pigs and chickens reared for meat, including:

– Daily access to grazing and shelter against extreme weather, as well as clean and comfortable resting areas with soft bedding such as straw
– Access to fresh, clean drinking water and a daily diet which provides sufficient energy and nutrients
– ‘Improvement’ programmes for the reduction of lameness, mastitis and infertility

Once the petition has collected one million signatures, the initiative will be passed to the European Commission, who will consider whether to propose legislation in response to the concerns raised.

Jean said: “I welcome the Happy Cows campaign, which looks to improve the current law as well as address the failure to provide for the specific needs of dairy cows.  These animals are being pushed to increase yields with the result that mastitis, lameness and infertility are increasing. The EU proclaims it follows high standards of animal welfare in its farming practices, but we need to be sure that this applies to all animals.  I wish the Happy Cows campaign every success as it looks to collect one million signatures and would urge all Europeans to sign up to the petition.”

Notes to Editor

To sign the petition, visit: http://www.happycows.eu/en/sign

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