EU action plan on the protection and welfare of animals

Recently, the European Commission adopted a new Action Plan on the protection and welfare of animals. It outlines concrete measures to improve the protection and welfare of animals over the next five years. For the period 2006–2010, five main areas of action have been set out to meet this objective: upgrading minimum standards for animal welfare; promoting research and alternative approaches to animal testing; introducing standardised animal welfare indicators; better informing animal handlers and the general public on animal welfare issues; and supporting international initiatives for the protection of animals.
The Action Plan, which was called for by the European Parliament and the Council, aims to clarify existing EU legislation on animal welfare while suggesting proposals for areas currently lacking sufficient action. The Plan proposes that current minimum standards for animal welfare be upgraded across the EU, in line with the latest scientific information and public demands. It suggests expanding these minimum standards to include species currently not covered by EU provisions. Rules should also be designed to ensure proper application and enforcement of these standards.
Well-targeted research is crucial for the development of effective policies to ensure the protection and welfare of animals, and the Action Plan advocates continued EU support for research projects in this field, with investigations into identified gaps in current research.
The Action Plan foresees a classification system for animal welfare practices, in order to differentiate between minimum standards applied and cases where even higher standards are used. It foresees setting up standardised indicators whereby production systems get due recognition for applying higher animal welfare standards than the minimum standards. The option of an EU label for animal welfare is put forward to promote products obtained in line with certain animal welfare standards. In this regard,
the Action Plan refers to the Welfare Quality® project. The timetable attached to the Action Plan takes into account the timeline of Welfare Quality® and action is foreseen on the basis of outcomes of the Welfare Quality® project. For more information, see http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/animal/welfare/index_en.htm.

Harry Blokhuis, Project coordinator