Euro Foie Gras reaffirms its constructive and determined mindset to address the numerous European challenges

With the summer sun, Euro Foie Gras’ members gathered on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, in Brussels for the General Assembly. Christophe Barrailh, President of Euro Foie Gras, stated, “There are numerous European challenges for our sector: the revision of European marketing standards, the future legislative proposals on animal welfare, and the implementation of vaccination against avian influenza. In all these important issues for the future of our sector of excellence, the sector remains proactive, constructive, and determined.“

With the resurgence of avian influenza outbreaks affecting the poultry sector in several European countries at an unprecedented time of the year, Euro Foie Gras called for the rapid implementation of vaccination. While emphasizing that biosecurity and surveillance measures remain and will remain the cornerstone of the fight against this epizootic, there is great hope that this additional tool will help effectively curb this scourge in the long term.

Furthermore, the European foie gras sector strongly reaffirmed the importance of maintaining the definition of raw foie gras with minimum weights of 300 grams for ducks and 400 grams for geese in the future delegated regulation on European marketing standards for poultry. All stakeholders in the sector are committed to offering European consumers and restaurateurs a quality product that matches the exceptional delicacy that foie gras represents, and thus protecting them against any misleading denomination. Only the maintenance of an ambitious and robust definition of raw foie gras will ensure this objective.

Regarding animal welfare, Euro Foie Gras is resolutely focused on the future. While denouncing a partial and biased scientific opinion from EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) as regards the welfare of ducks, geese, and quails, the profession has acknowledged the need for further research to address the current lack of scientific data on several aspects. The sector reaffirmed the importance of finding balanced and sustainable solutions that meet multiple objectives: the well-being of farmers, the welfare of animals, sanitary requirements, the environment, and economic sustainability.

All these topics will undoubtedly be at the heart of the federation’s next Board meeting in October. The appointment is set!