The European Commission's Livestock Strategy, published on 7 July, recognises something that animal protection organisations, scientists and millions of Europeans have been saying for years: the future of animal farming in Europe must include better lives for animals.
This is an important step forward. After years of delays and postponed legislation, the Commission has finally committed to revising the rules for laying hens and meat chickens by the end of 2026, with an emphasis on the ban on cages, followed by pigs in 2027.
It has also reaffirmed its intention to end the systematic killing of male chicks, introduce on-farm animal welfare indicators and ensure equivalent animal welfare requirements for imported products. Just as importantly, the Strategy recognises the need to improve enforcement of existing legislation, something that has too often been overlooked.
For the 105 member organisations of Eurogroup for Animals, these commitments are a victory because they simply would not have happened without the relentless work of our movement. They are also the result of years of activation of citizens and many farmers who have shown that change is both necessary and possible.
Science has already answered the question
The discussion is no longer about whether change is needed. Over the past few years, the European Food Safety Authority has published extensive scientific opinions on the welfare of farmed animals. Whether looking at laying hens, pigs, calves or broiler chickens, the message is remarkably consistent.
Systems based on confinement, overcrowding and barren environments prevent animals from expressing natural behaviours and compromise their health, welfare and ability to experience good lives. Better systems exist, and science has shown us what they should look like.
The democratic mandate is equally clear. More than 1.4 million Europeans backed the ‘End the Cage Age’ European Citizens' Initiative, making it one of the most successful citizens' initiatives in the history of the European Union.
The Livestock Strategy takes an important step towards delivering on that ECI through the planned phase-out of cages for chickens and the move away from crates for pigs, but citizens expect more than partial progress. They expect the comprehensive revision of EU animal welfare legislation that has been promised for years.
Ending cages is only the beginning
Ending cages will make an enormous difference to the lives of millions of animals. All hens will finally be able to spread their wings, perch and lay their eggs in nests. Sows will no longer spend a large proportion of their lives confined to crates so restrictive they cannot even turn around.
We must however, leave no species behind, and uncage all animals that are kept in confinement, including quails, rabbits, ducks and geese.
Those improvements alone are, of course, very significant. However, they cannot mark the end of this process. Europe's farm animal legislation is more than twenty years old and was written before much of today's scientific understanding of animal welfare was available. Since then, our knowledge has advanced enormously, farming has changed, and public expectations have changed too. Europe's legislation now needs to catch up.
Citizens are not asking for a limited update focused on only a few issues but expect legislation that reflects current science and addresses the welfare needs of all farmed animals. That means tackling questions such as stocking densities, breeding, environmental enrichment, painful mutilations and stunning methods, welfare indicators and farming systems that genuinely place animal welfare at their centre.
Farmers deserve support, not more uncertainty
Obviously, none of this will happen without farmers. Many want to improve the welfare of their animals but also face real economic pressures: converting housing systems requires investment; buildings often need to be redesigned; equipment needs replacing. The Livestock Strategy recognises that reality: the proposed mix of CAP support, European Investment Bank financing and other investment instruments is therefore welcome.
But we need real accountability, we need to remain vigilant: public investment should reward measurable improvements in animal welfare, not simply preserve production systems that everyone agrees need to evolve. At the same time, we need financial solutions that involve the entire value chain including e.g. retailers and private funders.
Transition periods are equally important. Of course, farmers need time to adapt, and new legislation must be practical to implement. But at the same time, "reasonable transition" cannot become another excuse for postponing action for decades. We have already spent many years advocating for the revision of animal welfare legislation. We cannot wait another generation to see a reform that is already long overdue.
Fairness must extend beyond Europe's borders
The Commission's commitment to introduce equivalent animal welfare requirements for imported products is also very important because higher welfare standards should never become a competitive disadvantage. Farmers who invest in higher standards should not have to compete with products produced under conditions that would be illegal in the European Union.
Nor should consumers have to wonder whether the values they support stop at Europe's borders. If implemented well, equivalent import requirements can protect European farmers, maintain public trust and encourage higher welfare standards internationally.
A Strategy with limited ambitions
The Livestock Strategy is definitely not ideal. The most important uncertainty concerns what will happen with all the farmed species that are not protected by any species-specific legislation and that are not mentioned anywhere. And it is also unclear what the Commission intends to propose on live animal exports, what the scope of the forthcoming legislative proposals will be and, crucially, what timelines for implementation we are looking at.
If that weren’t enough, there is nothing in the Strategy indicating a willingness to invest in more sustainable food systems. The emphasis is on protecting the animal production industry while increasing its efficiency and sustainability (at least, on paper) via genetic selection, technology, and innovation. If anything, the Strategy even advocates the adoption of livestock farming in marginal areas at risk of abandonment.
Similarly, there is strong emphasis on opening new markets for European “products of excellence” via targeted missions and promotional programmes. Animal welfare is recognised as one element that can characterise excellence, but in very vague terms.
All this is worrying, especially considering that the number of terrestrial animals farmed annually increased from approximately 62 billion in 2006 to nearly 95 billion in 2023, a rise of 53%.
Animal agriculture uses around 80% of global agricultural land but provides only 18% of global calories and 37% of protein. Current animal production levels are incompatible with returning food systems to safe ecological limits and achieving international climate and biodiversity goals. Looking at these worrying trends, the Strategy appears incredibly unambitious.
The decisions taken over the next few years will determine whether this Strategy becomes the start of the most significant improvement in the lives of farmed animals in Europe or whether political caution and business as usual will have the upper hand.
The medium to long-term goal should be to shift towards a different food system that improves the welfare of animals, looks at the bigger picture and rewards those transitioning. For the animals, for farmers and for the credibility of European policymaking, Europe cannot afford to miss this opportunity.
