ABMs Animal-based measures
AH Animal Health
AW Animal Welfare
AWIN Animal Welfare Indicators Network AWS Animal Welfare Strategy
CAP Common agricultural policy
EC European Commission
ECA European Court of Auditors EFSA European Food Safety Authority EP European Parliament
EPRS European Parliamentary Research Service
EU European Union
FCEC Food Chain Evaluation Consortium FTEs Full Time Equivalents
IFOAM International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements MoP Method of production
MS Member State
NCAs National Competent Authorities NGOs Non-governmental organisations ODG Organismes de Défense et de Gestion OIE World Organisation for Animal Health RDP Rural Development Programme
RSPCA Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals SCAHAW Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare SMRs Statutory Management Requirements
SVC Standing Veterinary Committee
UK United Kingdom
Implementation of EU legislation on 'on-farm' animal welfare:
Potential EU added value from the introduction of animal welfare labelling requirements at EU level
Glossary
Animal-based measures A response of an animal or an effect on an animal used to assess its welfare. It can be taken directly on the animal or indirectly and includes the use of animal records. It can result from a specific event, e.g. an injury, or be the cumulative outcome of many days, weeks or months, e.g. body condition2
Enrichment Environmental modifications that facilitate strongly motivated behaviours that are specific to a species, or lead the animal to express behaviours which are more complex. Enrichment can include bedding, substrates, objects, etc.3
Extensive farming Farming system often practised on larger farms, characterised by low levels of inputs per unit area of land4
Input-based measures See non-animal-based measures
Intensive farming Farming system with higher levels of input and output per unit area of land
Mixed label Labelling system that covers AW alongside other product- or process-related dimensions
Multi-tier label Label involving different levels of compliance with progressively higher AW requirements
Non-animal-based
measures An evaluation of a factor of combination of factors (resources or management) that may be linked to change in the likelihood of good or poor welfare5
Output-based measures See animal-based measures
1. Objectives and scope of the research
Following the launch by the European Parliament (EP) Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) of an own-initiative implementation report on animal welfare (AW) at farm level, the European Parliament Research Service (EPRS) (notably, the Ex-Post Evaluation Unit) has been requested to provide expertise in support of the drafting of that report. It has therefore commissioned the present research paper with the following objectives:
1 Evaluate the implementation of the legislation of the European Union (EU) on AW with a focus on “on-farm” aspects against a standard set of criteria (namely relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and EU added value) together with its impacts (Research Task 1); in particular the EU legislation subject to the evaluation consists of the following legal acts:
Council Directive 98/58/EC concerning the protection of animals kept for farming purposes (the “general” directive);6
Council Directive 1999/74/EC laying down minimum standards for the protection of laying hens (“species-specific” directive);7
Council Directive 2007/43/EC laying down minimum rules for the protection of chickens kept for meat production (“species-specific” directive);8
Council Directive 2008/119/EC laying down minimum standards for the protection of calves (“species-specific” directive);9 and,
Council Directive 2008/120/EC laying down minimum standards for the protection of pigs (“species-specific” directive).10
2 Map and assess existing models for AW labelling of animal-based products while examining the potential added value from the introduction of mandatory AW labelling requirements at EU level for such products (Research Task 2); while the focus of ex-post evaluation under Research Task 1 is strictly limited to on-farm AW, the scope of Research Task 2 is broader insofar as labelling systems may also cover AW during transport and/or at slaughter.
Against this background, this research paper is structured in five main chapters:
Chapter 2, Methodological approach – This chapter illustrates the methodological approach that was designed and implemented by the research team to complete the two research tasks;
Chapter 3, EU policy and legislation on animal welfare: general context and evolution of on-farm animal welfare practices for the studied species – This chapter serves as a scene-setter for Chapters 4 and 5 insofar as it describes the broader policy and legislative framework for AW at EU level besides providing an historical overview of the evolution of on-farm AW practices for the animal species covered by the research paper, i.e. laying hens, broilers, pigs, calves and, in the context of Directive 98/58/EC, cattle (for all farming purposes), sheep and rabbits;
Chapter 4, Ex-post evaluation of the EU acquis regulating on-farm animal welfare–
This chapter contains the results of the ex-post evaluation exercise conducted by the research team. This examined the implementation of the five on-farm AW directives referred above, alongside relevant guidance documents, considering their relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, EU added value and impacts;
Chapter 5, Animal welfare labelling – This chapter contains a mapping of the labelling systems covering AW that currently exist on the EU market together with an assessment of their scientific substantiation, effectiveness, efficiency and transparency. In addition, it considers and discusses the potential added value that may derive from the
Implementation of EU legislation on 'on-farm' animal welfare:
Potential EU added value from the introduction of animal welfare labelling requirements at EU level
introduction of mandatory AW labelling requirements for animal-based products at EU level;
Chapter 6, Conclusions and recommendations – The final chapter of the research paper draws the main conclusions of the research conducted and, on that basis, formulates relevant recommendations for EU policy-makers and for future research to be conducted in this area.
2. Methodological approach
The methodological approach designed to produce this research paper consisted of two main research tasks (Research Task 1 and Research Task 2). These were preceded by an inception process (Research Task 0) that took place in December 2020. Research Task 1 focused on the ex-post evaluation of the implementation of the EU acquis on on-farm AW legislation. Research Task 2 gathered relevant information on existing labelling systems covering AW in the EU market, while considering the potential added value deriving from the introduction of mandatory AW labelling requirements at EU level.
More details on the different research tasks are given in section 2.1 – 2.3 of this chapter, while section 2.4 illustrates the approach chosen by the research team to reflect and report stakeholder views in the research paper.
The figure below illustrates the overall logic underpinning the methodological approach applied to the research as well as the specific data collection activities performed for each of the two research tasks.