A3-0405/93

Resolution on the protection of animals

The European Parliament,

-having regard to the Communication of the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament (COM(93)0384/2),

-having regard to the report of the Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development (A3-0405/93),

A.whereas there is considerable discussion about the future direction of Community animal welfare policy,

B.whereas it is necessary to redefine Community competence particularly in the light of the discussion about subsidiarity,

C.whereas there is a clear need for animal welfare considerations to form an integral part of the Common Agricultural Policy,

D.whereas animals should be distinct from agricultural products,

E.whereas the European Parliament has been and must remain both a guide and impetus in animal welfare policy,

1.Welcomes the broad conclusions of the Commission document, which reaffirm the importance of animal welfare considerations, and the key role which the Community has in elaborating a policy which will have real and effective benefits for animal welfare;

2.Believes that at a time when the CAP has been reformed with the objective of reducing over-production, the opportunity should be seized to improve conditions for animals which have been subjected to production systems which have become increasingly intensive and restrictive;

3.Believes that the standards of care in many abattoirs are unacceptably low and that modern methods of handling, restraint and humane stunning and killing should be introduced without delay;

4.Reaffirms its support and belief in the value of work done by the Council of Europe, particularly in the light of the forthcoming enlargement of the Community, and believes that this work is complementary to that undertaken by the European Community and the Member States;

5.Regrets that the Commission does not fully acknowledge the important role of the European Parliament in formulating animal welfare policy, or in proposing amendments to legislation, and believes that this neglect of issues which are increasingly in the public eye will damage the standing of the European Community;

6.Regrets that the Commission is submitting proposals on adopting measures in connection with the common organization of markets or with the health regulations which are undermining attempts to improve the protection of farm animals, and calls on it:

-to withdraw its decision of June 1993 to grant a higher export refund for the export of live animals for slaughter than for the export of beef and veal,

-to ensure, in the context of the current negotiations on amending Directive No. 91/497/EEC (the fresh meat directive) that a sufficiently dense network of slaughterhouses can be maintained to allow the transport of animals from farm to slaughter, and their stay in the slaughterhouse, to be kept as short as possible;

7.Calls for the EC Treaty to be amended on the occasion of the Intergovernmental Conference in 1996 to clarify Community competence in animal welfare;

8.Calls for the setting up of an adequately staffed service at the Commission with special responsibility for animal welfare;

9.Draws attention to the continuing impotence of the Commission to monitor the way that Member States implement and enforce animal welfare directives, thereby putting producers, transporters and abattoirs in some Member States at an economic disadvantage; calls for the Veterinary Inspectorate to be immediately strengthened to deal specifically with animal welfare policy so that it is applied equally vigorously in all Member States;

10.Calls on the Commission to submit proposals to require the Member States to appoint authorities or inspection bodies responsible for monitoring the protection of animals and for the Commission to be notified of these bodies in order to ensure the consistent application throughout the Community of the rules on the protection of animals;

11.Calls for the Commission's report and proposals on laying hens, as required by Directive 89/166/EEC, to be introduced without delay;

12.Calls for work on revision of calf and pig Directives 91/629/EEC and 91/630/EEC to be brought forward without delay;

13.Calls for Parliament's opinion of 15 December 1993 on the current proposals on the protection of animals during transport to be accepted by Commission and Council;

14.Calls on the Council to adopt without delay the Commission proposal on the protection of animals at the time of slaughter or killing (COM(92)0460), as amended by Parliament's opinion of 8 July 1992;

15.Calls for Parliament to be consulted on any future proposals, particularly those implementing agreements made in the Council of Europe;

16.Believes that farm animals must be given special recognition and not just referred to as agricultural products;

17.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, and the governments of the Member States.