Compassion in World Farming EU

The hearing of Commissioner hopeful for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen has just finished. This is how it went 👇     🌾 He confirmed the consensus shown in the report of the Strategic Dialogue will remain the basis on which he will build his Vision for the Future of EU Agriculture, but we already see some cherry picking, especially when it comes to prioritising a Sustainable Livestock Strategy over a Plant-based Foods Strategy;   🌾 He showed creativity when it comes to find ways to financially support farmers in the sustainable transition in the short and medium term, but missed a chance to acknowledge the flaws of current policies in doing so;  🌾 He confirmed the Green Deal will remain the compass for EU agriculture, affirming the need to reduce CO2 emissions from the farmed animal sector, but expressed no intention to encourage reduction of meat consumption;    🌾 He seemed to take animal welfare as a given, but offered no clear commitment to phasing out cages, improving animal welfare standards and promoting regenerative agriculture;   🌾 He didn’t place enough emphasis on the Food part of his portfolio -- which would be a missed opportunity for a Commissioner who has the mandate to break silos and take a food systems approach.    References to the need to reduce pesticides and promote organic farming are positive, but this is not enough.      The European Commission must set an ambitious vision that clearly spells out how to achieve humane, sustainable food systems, and commits to using CAP money to promote higher welfare animal farming, as recommended by the Strategic Dialogue.     We need a better food system, for animals, people and our planet.   #CAP #SustainableFoodSystems #AnimalWelfare #PlantBased #RegenerativeAgriculture #ExtensiveAgriculture #StrategicDialogue #EPHearings #EndIt #EndTheCageAge #PlanetaryBoundaries #FarmToFork #ClimateChange 

Confined in cages with no space to hop or lift their head, sick, with overgrown claws and missing fur. Alone. This is what life in a cage looks like for millions of farmed rabbits in the EU, our new undercover investigation reveals. Urge the European Commission to #EndTheCageAge: https://lnkd.in/eUHmiHp8 Check out the footage ➡ https://lnkd.in/eGTJyu45 Check out the report ➡ https://lnkd.in/eWka7BXy Eurogroup for Animals, Ethical Farming Ireland, European Environmental Bureau, Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe, EU Food Policy Coalition, BirdLife Europe and Central Asia, European Parliament #AnimalWelfare

This week, Commissioners-candidates will be questioned by the European Parliament. This is what you need to know if you care about animal welfare 👇    For the first time, animal welfare is right in the middle of a Commissioner title, but this cannot be just window dressing.    The title must match the ambitions and animal welfare must be treated as a key priority in the next mandate.    In a new Commission with overlapping policy competencies, this means strengthened cooperation and clear, strong political will to deliver on the promised – yet undelivered – ban on caged farming and review of the block’s animal welfare legislation.    We’ll be closely watching the hearings of Animal Welfare Commissioner-candidate Varhelyi, Agriculture and Food Commissioner-candidate Hansen, Fisheries and Ocean Commissioner-candidate Kostas.    This is what we want to see this week ➡ https://lnkd.in/efEbeCkG #AnimalWelfare #EndIt #EndTheCageAge #RethinkFish #SustainableFoodSystems #EPHearigs

BREAKING: Our new undercover investigation into caged rabbit farming in the EU is out 🚨 We found rabbits and does farmed for food being kept in cages, with missing fur, overgrown claws and cuts on their ears. We filmed sick rabbits who couldn’t lift their heads, rabbits laying lifeless among the living, and rabbits desperately trying to chew their way out of cages.   All because the EU has failed to keep its promise to ban caged farming.   These disturbing images reinforce the urgent need to #EndTheCageAge.   Help us end this. Urge the European Commission to deliver on its promise to ban cages: https://lnkd.in/eUHmiHp8 Check out the footage from the investigation: https://lnkd.in/eGTJyu45 Ursula von der Leyen, Christophe Hansen, European Parliament, European Commission, Anja Hazekamp, Tilly Metz, Niels Fuglsang, Eurogroup for Animals, European Environmental Bureau, EU Food Policy Coalition, Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe, European Plant-Based Foods Association (ENSA), #AnimalWelfare

A joint survey with Eurogroup for Animals shows that an overwhelming 9 out of 10 EU citizens believe the welfare of fish should be protected to the same or greater extent as other farmed animals. Costas Kadis, will you take action and implement legislative protections for farmed fish?  #EPHearings #RethinkFish #AnimalWelfare

47 heifers are stranded at the Bulgarian-Turkish border, where they have been left in appalling conditions and with little access to food and water since October 18. So far, nothing has been done to help them. The situation is very worrying. At the same border just a few weeks ago, 69 pregnant heifers faced the same scenario. Many of them died in the filthy trucks they were stuck in, while those that survived were eventually slaughtered without stunning: https://bit.ly/3YH3goG If the European Commission does not intervene to help the 47 heifers that are now stranded, they are not likely to survive. Signed by animal protection NGOs across Europe, our open letter calls for an immediate intervention to free these suffering animals - before it's too late. Read the open letter: https://bit.ly/3YuREUr #LiveAnimalTransport #BanLiveExports

Morning from the #unfss2023 Stocktake in Rome About to speak at the FoodSystems for People’s Nutrition & Health Leadership Dialogue Reminding everyone that the more grain we feed to industrially reared animals the less affordable it is for people exacerbating malnutrition & hunger We need to embrace the principles of #OneHealth for all life on Earth Compassion in World Farming #food #health #animals #environment #planet

Our Global CEO Philip Lymbery is in China this week, raising awareness of the role of animal welfare in the health of animals, people and the planet. Yesterday he presented at the 'A consensus on animal welfare in agri-food systems' release ceremony in Beijing, and later met with the winners of the Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards from China, along with our China representative Jeff Zhou. Today he took part in a panel discussion on 'Animal welfare and reduced antibiotic use' and then attended the 'Cage-free egg production and marketing coordination office' launch ceremony. Later he met with the Institute of Animal Sciences of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and finally had time for a team photo!

Yet another transport tragedy: last week, 69 pregnant cows suffered a terrible death after being stranded at the border between Bulgaria and Turkey for over four weeks. The border is considered a ''land of no man'' as no one is ready to take responsibility for what happens to animals who get suck there. In this case, because the cows were coming from Brandebourg, which is considered an epidemic area for the bluetongue virus, Turkish authorities stopped the animals, and legal bureaucracy did not allow a return to the EU. Just days after this terrible event, another situation surfaced at the same border. This time, 47 cows are stranded without food and water. Animals have started to fall ill, and two have already died. The situation is beyond tragic. It is clear that the EU is not doing enough to protect these animals. It is imperative that the regulation for the protection of animals during transport is taken seriously and updated to avoid unnecessary suffering, starting with a ban on live exports.

Yesterday, I was interviewed by Kay Burley on one of the UK's leading breakfast TV shows Sky News Breakfast - sharing why it is so important that the cruel and unsustainable practices of octopus farming is not allowed to go ahead. Watch from 50 minutes in 👇 Compassion in World Farming #StopOctopusFarming