2022-02-26 07:28:42
Are our animals raised in systems that respect their well-being?
The breeding systems developed often had in common: the reduction of surface areas and the increase in densities, control of the environment: artificial light, no access to the outside, impoverishment of the environment. : only water and food and in certain cases litter and sometimes limitation of contact with peers: disappearance of mother-young bonds, individual housing. Animal welfare issues related to these breeding systems were not on the agenda, the relative cost of food products in the household budget being preponderant.
The conditions of animal rearing in so-called intensive systems, in certain extreme cases, no longer allowed the animals to carry out the specific behaviors of their species : social contacts, comfort, rest, exploration activities, maternal behavior etc. Since the end of the last century, collective awareness has led to the establishment of regulations to guarantee a minimum level of well-being in European farms and a questioning of certain breeding systems by citizens. However, current regulations do not specifically cover all species and still authorize the use of cages.
How is animal welfare regulated in France and Europe?
In Europe and therefore in France, the production of livestock is regulated by different texts. Directive 98/58 regulates the welfare of livestock in general. This European directive was established almost 25 years ago, based on the knowledge of the time. It sets out major principles to be respected such as the absence of discomfort, access to water and food, etc. It remains today the regulatory basis for carrying out official controls for species which do not benefit from specific regulations.
Today, only calves, pigs, laying hens and broiler chickens have specific regulations (directive or regulation) specifying obligations of means for their breeding in most cases: minimum surface area per animal, number water point, necessary enrichment elements etc. For the most recent ones, there are also performance obligations. For example, to be able to apply higher breeding densities in broilers, it is necessary not to exceed a certain mortality and to have good results concerning the well-being of the last seven batches. To these four specific texts are added two texts which regulate the transport of animals and their killing. Even if these texts have the advantage of existing, in a certain number of cases they are relatively vague: absence of avoidable suffering, level of certain gases maintained to avoid impacts on well-being, etc.; and their application is not always easy to control.
What about the use of cages in breeding?
It is estimated that most animal production uses cages in some of their production systems. The recent European citizens’ initiative against the use of cages gathered more than 1.4 million signatures, resulting in the end of cages at European level for most species from 2027.
Not using cages does not necessarily guarantee optimal animal welfare. Today, there is still no official definition of a cage, but scientists agree that it is a breeding system that seriously hampers an animal’s ability to perform species-specific behaviors. To the previous list, we could then add boxes for horses or even bull pens, very widely used in France and throughout Europe.
We could say that stopping the “cages” will solve everything, but it is not possible to move on so quickly. Stopping the cages, of course, but it must be for systems:
concretely improving the well-being of animals by providing them with a life “worth living” and by being compatible with the economic reality of production, otherwise animals will no longer be produced in France but imported from countries with potentially much lower demands on animal welfare;
respecting the environment and animal and human health: limiting the emergence of wildlife pathogens that can be transmitted to domestic animals and then to humans, “One Health” concept.
The current challenge is therefore to continue to develop so-called breeding systems “alternatives to cages” making it possible to respect animal well-being, that is to say “a positive mental and physical state linked to the satisfaction of the physiological and behavioral needs of the animal, as well as its expectations” (Anses, 2018).
An animal’s state of welfare varies depending on thethe animal’s perception of the situation. The breeding system will then have to take up the challenge of providing animals with an environment adapted to the specific needs of their species, for example for poultry, to explore, peck, scratch, perch, etc.; and also compatible with respect for animal, human and environmental health. The challenge is complex but not impossible, it requires the involvement of breeding professionals (including genetic selection), the State and citizens.
The European Commission will support this reform by drafting by 2030 a new regulatory framework for the protection of animals of all species produced in Europe. In order to produce complete and precise regulations, it will have to rely on the scientific reports of the European authority (EFSA). The production of numerical recommendations that can be integrated into regulations is very complex because the well-being of animals is conditioned by many factors. ANSES actively participates through its research, reference and expertise work in the production of this scientific data.
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