Europeans developing a common vision for animal welfare
Dr Andrea Gavinelli
If there is to be a meaningful link between consumer attitudes and standards of welfare for production animals, then we need to start by talking the same language.
Developing a Europe-wide information platform – a forum where stakeholders such as retailers, consumers, producers and researchers can interact – is one of the challenges facing Dr Andrea Gavinelli. Based with the European Commission in Brussels, Dr Gavinelli is in charge of developing community policies and legislation on animal welfare. This is being done within the framework of a five year (2006–2010) community action plan for welfare encompassing farmed, wild and laboratory animals.
He was in New Zealand during November, where he made a presentation on European perspectives of animal welfare at the 25th OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) Regional Commission Conference for Asia, the Far East and Oceania in Queenstown.
Research programme shaping standards
Speaking at a post-conference seminar in Wellington, he said the EU's Welfare QualityÒ research programme is starting to shape common standards for measuring farm animal welfare in a way that is scientifically robust but also meaningful to consumers (see Biosecurity 75:16 and 79:21). Far from being limited to the EU membership, the dialogue surrounding this programme is extending to partnerships between the EU and many of its trading partners – including New Zealand.
"Europeans want to know and support a global sustainable market in animal products," Dr Gavinelli said. "We need to find common ground with our partners to identify what consumers want and how we can provide the information they need."
Animal welfare features in the European Commission's development strategy to preserve the environment, and has emerged as a powerful marketing tool, he added. The 'fork to farm' link – in which consumer attitudes drive changes in on-farm practices – can add impetus.
Legislation a slow process
Legislation via the European Parliament is a notoriously slow instrument of change. Once passed, it becomes a directive which then must be translated into national legislation state by state. In the case of pig stalls – banned since 2001 – individual states, including Belgium, Finland and the United Kingdom, moved ahead of EU-level initiatives and set their own, higher standards. While admirable, this can present some distortions in trade and competitiveness.
Dr Gavinelli said the more bogged down in detail welfare measures became, the slower the change. "We have already spent two and a half years discussing welfare standards for broiler chickens," he said. "This process can take years!"
But while the legislative wheels grind slowly, the impetus for quicker action is constantly building. A comprehensive EuroBarometer survey of 27,000 people throughout the EU showed high but variable interest in animal welfare – interest that will continue to sharpen the 'fork' of public pressure.
For example, 43 percent, on average, said purchasing decisions would be influenced by animal welfare standards. In the case of eggs, 81 percent of Swedish consumers were prepared to pay more for free-range eggs, although only 28 percent of Portuguese were prepared to shell out extra. Better animal health and ethical considerations were the main motivators for accepting a price premium on welfare-friendly eggs, with food quality and safety rating a lower but still significant mention.
Overall, 80 percent of those surveyed identified welfare as an important issue. And, significantly for trade partners such as New Zealand, 89 percent felt that imported animal products should have been raised using welfare standards that matched those of Europe.
Power of public opinion
While the World Trade Organisation's Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement prevents welfare standards from being used as a trade barrier, the power of public opinion is an important consideration in the marketplace. Dr Gavinelli noted the example of the public outrage surrounding the cruel treatment of a load of pigs being trucked from the Netherlands to Italy. "Our EU servers crashed, such was the volume of email traffic about this issue."
Long-distance transport of animals, a source of much animal welfare concern in Europe, is now being more rigorously policed through new standards supported by a system of licensing and satellite tracking of individual vehicles, he explained.
He said that the European Commission did not have the power to directly enforce animal welfare legislation. "There is some power available through directives, and we can audit members and use publicity. Within countries some animal welfare sanctions can be very heavy in relation to other crimes, and so are rarely used."
So, could market forces deliver the animal welfare outcomes that people want – outcomes based on shared values that are being developed across national boundaries?
Dr Gavinelli acknowledged the power of consumers and the ability of big supermarket chains to dictate the welfare standards used by its suppliers, but he does not believe the market can deliver animal welfare outcomes unassisted.
"The 'fork to farm' effect is working, but there is no transparency in that process. If that pressure on producers is dropped, what will replace it?"
He wryly acknowledged that public officials such as himself rate among the least trusted by European consumers, while farmers enjoy the highest levels of confidence. Undaunted, Dr Gavinelli said public awareness and confidence in animal welfare standards within Europe appeared to be growing.
"People in Europe are forming their own values about welfare. As a child I never thought about welfare, but the next generation have learned to ask questions about it. A new overarching concept – that of a 'duty of care' – should set the basis for what we do in the future. That's my vision."
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Page last updated: 30 April 2008