European Commission Proposed ‘Tougher’ Actions in Slaughterhouses Really Amount to Very Little for Animal Welfare

Posted on September 20, 2008 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

Eubusiness, September 18, 2008
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1221746287.05
 
 
Brussels – The European Commission on Thursday proposed tougher rules for slaughterhouses to ensure that farm animals “are humanely treated” before they are killed.
 
Each year almost 360 million pigs, sheep, goats and cattle as well as several billion poultry are killed in EU slaughterhouses for meat. Another 25 million animals are killed for their fur, according to official figures. “As a society we have a duty of care to animals, which includes minimising distress and avoiding pain throughout the slaughtering process,” said EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou. “The current EU rules are outdated and need revision,” she added.
 
Under the plans no method of stunning and slaughter would be banned, even though some have been identified as being less humane.
For example “the waterbath stunner” for poultry and the use of carbon dioxide will still be permitted as there are not yet viable commercial alternatives, the commission said.
 
However Brussels wants to make it mandatory for slaughterhouse staff to be properly trained, for technical standards on slaughter equipment to be introduced and for an individual to be responsible for animal welfare in each establishment. Operators will also have to evaluate the efficiency of their stunning methods. “After stunning animals will have to be regularly monitored to ensure they do not regain consciousness before slaughter,” the commission said in a statement.
 
Compassion in World Farming policy advisor Peter Stevenson welcomed the proposals but said the commission “has shied away from tackling some crucial issues.” His group took especial aim at the electrified water bath and carbon dioxide gassing methods. “Scientific research shows that this method causes severe respiratory distress. Pigs can be seen gasping and hyperventilating,” it said while the electric bath method “can lead to pain and distress and should be replaced by the use of non-aversive gases such as argon or nitrogen”.
 
Also his rights group and the Belgian Action Group for Animal Rights complained that the measures “will continue to allow animals to be killed without prior stunning for religious slaughter.

“This means that animals have their throat cut while fully conscious — scientific research shows that this causes great suffering,” the groups added in a joint statement.
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SAV agree with these statements – once again the EU is making things sound better for the animals using words such as ‘mandatory’ and ‘properly trained’, but in reality, the suffering at EU slaughterhouses will not change to any real degree.
Religious slaughter without stunning is the worst method of all, and in 2003 the United Kingdom FAWC called for it to be banned:  http://www.ciwf.org.uk/includes/documents/cm_docs/2008/c/comments_on_fawc_recommendations_on_stunning_before_slaughter.pdf– but it never has been because no one on the political scene anywhere (Uk or Europe) wants to really stand up and argue what is so ‘religious’ about not pre-stunning ! – you could say that the politicians are frightened of upsetting people who call ‘something’ a religious right.
The EU is doing the same; saying words that in reality change nothing and improve nothing for the animals being killed each and every day.
One SAV member writing this article was a Uk rep for Compassion in World Farming – who do some excellent work with campaigning and investigations into farm animal cruelty and suffering.  SAV fully back Peter Stevenson of CIWF when he says they welcomed the proposals but said the commission “has shied away from tackling some crucial issues.”
SAV state that the first thing the EU should do is to enforce an EU wide ban on ritual slaughtering – this would be a good and proper start to REALLY taking some action for farm animal welfare in Europe.
Please visit the CIWF site at  http://www.ciwf.org.uk/
 

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