The Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament ties practical and financial conditions to the eventual cessation of the use of cages in livestock farming. The AGRI Committee believes that a solid, scientific basis for a cage ban must be established first. Therefore, the earliest this could happen is in about five years.
Furthermore, a good European subsidy scheme must be created to cover the necessary investments for the sector. It remains uncertain whether the European Commissioners are willing to wait that long and whether the EU will fund the required transition.
The vast majority of the AGRI Committee voted on Friday in favor of a draft resolution, responding to a citizens' initiative in which millions of EU citizens called for a cage ban. In their response to "End the Cage Age," the MEPs called for revision of the existing EU rules on animal welfare.
Alternatives to cages and enclosures already exist in some EU countries. These alternative systems should be further promoted at the national level. To guarantee equal competitive conditions for all EU farmers, EU legislation is necessary, the MEPs add.
The gradual end to caged farming must be based on a species-by-species approach that takes into account the characteristics of different animals. The MEPs also emphasize the need for sufficient time for the intended transition. It must be prevented that livestock farming relocates abroad where animal welfare standards are lower than in the EU.
In their draft resolution, the EU politicians also point out that stricter criteria should be applied in future trade agreements regarding imports from outside the European Union. A more sustainable food system should focus not only on ecological but also on economic and social aspects.
The draft resolution, approved in the Agriculture Committee with 39 votes in favor, 4 against, and 3 abstentions, will now need to be reviewed and discussed by the Parliament as a whole, likely during the plenary session from June 7 to 10.