“Establishing a labelling only focused on animal welfare would be too narrow”
European Livestock Voice, a multi-stakeholder group promoting science-based facts on livestock, organised a webinar on animal welfare labelling on 28 January 2021.
Speakers with different backgrounds took the word on this hot topic. Here are some important points:
Trine Vig Tamstorf, Chief policy advisor for animal health and welfare for the Danish Agriculture and Food Council, firstly highlighted that farmers care about their animals, and consider animal welfare as an absolute priority. She underlined that establishing a labelling only focused on animal welfare is too narrow. The scope should be broadened by including other aspects such as environment because animal welfare is just one element of sustainability.
This important aspect was also stressed by Denis Simonin, Senior Expert on animal welfare at the European Commission’s DG Health and Food Safety. He explained that one of the actions of the EU Farm to Fork Strategy is to create a sustainable food labelling framework. Aspects like environment, nutrient profiles, or animal welfare could be part of this overall framework. Moreover, a key question is how the existing and the future animal welfare labelling schemes can fit together. He evoked two different options: existing schemes will be parallel schemes or existing schemes will position themselves as benchmarks.
Animal welfare will always be subject to societal ideas, he added. A scientific approach is needed but taking consumers’ and farmers’ views into consideration is also necessary.
Finally, Trine Vig Tamstorf strongly encouraged farm visits to burn the myths and let the public see the farming conditions on the ground. Euro Foie Gras is always happy to organise farm visits, as it enables to confront ideas with the reality (if the sanitary conditions allow it).
Euro Foie Gras is glad to take part in the European Livestock Voice’s work to support telling the truth on the sector.
In case you missed it, here is the recording of the webinar: