In May 2021, the European Commission designated a third EU Reference Centre for animal welfare, focusing on the welfare of ruminants and equines (Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/755). The tasks of the third centre (EURCAW Ruminants & Equines) include supporting the European Commission and the Member States in the application of animal welfare requirements for ruminants and equines, carrying out scientific and technical studies, as well as conducting training courses and...

Every year, hundreds of millions of male day-old layer chicks are killed after hatching in European Union. Male layer chicks are commercially useless for the eggs industry because they are not suitable for meat production and only females can lay. This unethical practice will be forbidden in France and Germany from 2022, both being the first countries in the world to ban it.    To avoid male day-old chicks culling, hatcheries need to be equipped...

The European Commission has responded positively to the European Citizen's Initiative (ECI) that collected 1.4 million signatures within one year from supporters in 28 Member States, being the first successful ECI on farm animals. The European Commission committed to propose to phase out and prohibit the use of cages for laying hens, sows, calves, rabbits, pullets, broiler breeders, layer breeders, quail, geese, and ducks. The proposal is expected by the end of 2023 and will be part of...

In October 2019, the European Commission has designated a second Reference Centre dedicated to the welfare of poultry and other small farmed animals (Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1685). The European Union Reference Centre for Animal Welfare for Poultry and other small farmed animals (EURCAW-Poultry-SFA) aims at improving the enforcement of the EU legislation applicable to those animals, such as laying hens, chickens for meat production, and other small farmed animals, including...

The European Reference Centre for Animal Welfare for Poultry and other small farmed animals (EURCAW-Poultry-SFA) has been launched on February 1st 2020. This Centre is composed of Anses (France, coordinator), IRTA (Spain, deputy), IZSLER (Italy) and Aarhus University (Denmark). EURCAW-Poultry-SFA was designated by the European Union on October 4 2019  through Regulation (EU) 2019/1685, in accordance with Articles 95 and 96 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625,  to...