Will the end of cage farming in Europe soon be over? After a petition signed by nearly a million and a half European citizens, including 400,000 in Germany and 100,000 in France, the European Commission has pledged to legislate to improve the lives of these farm animals. In Europe, more than 370 million animals are affected each year, with laying hens and rabbits in the lead.
The petition initiated by the CIWF association, compassion in farms around the world was hailed by the European Commission for its efficiency and this extraordinary result. In Brussels, the explanations of Pierre Benazet.
Animal welfare is an integral part of the new European Union strategy for healthier and more sustainable food. Europe is therefore committed to in-depth review of all its animal welfare laws by the end of 2023. In Austria, the debate has already imposed itself in society on the issue of pig breeding. It is one of the major sectors of agriculture in this country with nearly three million pigs for less than nine million inhabitants. And here too, it was the citizens who made things happen with a plebiscite signed by 400,000 people. As a result, the parliament passed a resolution calling on the government to improve the living conditions for the breeding of pigs outside the soil. Céline Beal’s report in Vienna.
Should we consider shared custody for the dog or the cat? Spanish couples who separate will now be able to settle this issue in court! Because since the beginning of the year, in Spain, a new law gives rights to pets considered as ” sentient beings “. They are protected by law in the event of disputes between their masters. Report from Diane Cambon.
In Ireland, since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, animal protection associations warn of the danger of adopting an animal in times of confinement, in particular because of the risk of abandonment during the return to a normal life. Nevertheless, the island is facing a sad phenomenon: never have so many donkeys been abandoned or mistreated. There are said to be between 5 and 10,000 – in Ireland, a legacy of the country’s agricultural and rural tradition. Emeline Wine went to a sanctuary that welcomes them in the south of the island.
In the Romanian Carpathians, the bear problem is not new. With just over 6,000 animals, it is the country with the most animals in Europe after Russia. They attack the flocks, but sometimes also the shepherds. Over the past three years, around 100 incidents have been recorded. But for two years now, a foundation has been equipping shepherds with Romanian dogs. Report from Benjamin Ribout.