Welfare tag for ethical farm produce

BRUSSELS - European consumers who prefer meat and dairy products from humanely treated animals may soon be able to buy farm produce stamped with an EU "welfare" label.

Noting a "seismic shift" in consumer opinion towards promoting animal welfare rather than merely preventing avoidable suffering and cruelty, the European Commission says it is keen to see more products get by using high welfare standards.

One way to achieve this, it said in a five-year plan to improve treatment of animals, would be to create a label to help consumers choose between "minimum" and "higher" welfare standards for the meat, milk or eggs that they wanted to buy.

"The establishment of an EU label for animal welfare is an option to be explored in the near future which could promote products elaborated under high welfare standards," it said.

"There has been a clear shift of public attitudes towards animals over recent decades and how animals are considered in society."

Retailers and producers were increasingly recognising animal welfare as a key element of product image.

EU marketing standards for eggs and poultry meat already include some rules on animal welfare labelling. In 2005, the commission called for tighter hygiene and welfare rules for the billions of chickens slaughtered in the EU each year for their meat, often in packed and poor conditions.

The commission will publish its animal welfare plan this week and present it to EU agriculture ministers on January 23.

It sets out a series of proposed monitoring reports and ideas for draft laws at various stages between 2006 and 2010.

It calls for the EU to look at alternatives to animal testing, particularly for the cosmetics industry, how to control the trade in dog and cat fur and improvements in satellite navigation systems to monitor vehicles transporting animals long distances across the 25-nation region.

It aims to respond to EU public opinion, since most Europeans believe the welfare of farm animals - particularly cattle, pigs and poultry - to be poor.

Last month, the commission published the results of an online survey of 40,000 respondents, most of whom said the bloc needed to do a lot more to improve the welfare of farm animals.

Nearly 80 per cent of people supported better food labelling about the conditions in which animals are reared, while 67 per cent said a better knowledge of farming practices would influence decisions when they bought food.

Besides general laws on animal and farm welfare, the EU only has specific legislation on veal, sows and laying hens.

The plan also suggests that new rules are needed for other species, like beef and dairy cattle, sheep, turkeys and ducks.

Draft plan
* Alternatives should be found for animal testing, particularly for the cosmetics industry.
* The trade in dog and cat fur has to be controlled.
* Improvements needed in satellite navigation systems to monitor vehicles transporting animals long distances.

- REUTERS