In the summer of 2021, European Union policymakers promised to phase out cages for 300 million farmed pigs, egg-laying hens, rabbits, and other species, which Vox contributor Jonathan Moens then called “the most ambitious plan ever by any government to end the cruel practice.”
But two years later, after pressure from the powerful European meat lobby and concerns over rising food costs due to inflation, extreme weather, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, that legislation — along with a suite of other reforms that would reduce the suffering of potentially billions of farmed animals — has been thrown into doubt.
Copa-Cogeca, a prominent EU farming lobby, argues that a cage ban would significantly raise food costs, reduce farmer income, and make Europe reliant on meat and egg imports — conclusions animal advocacy groups contest.
When asked when the commission would publish the three other animal welfare proposals, a spokesperson told Vox that it’s “now reflecting on and carefully assessing important aspects, including the related costs and the appropriate length of the transition period.
The EU has also implemented a partial ban on cages for female breeding pigs, allowing pork producers to lock them in small crates barely bigger than their bodies for about a third of their four-month pregnancies, and for several weeks as they wean piglets.
Earlier this year, a leaked draft assessment of the commission’s proposals revealed that it’s considering phasing out painful mutilations routinely performed on farmed animals, like the cutting of hens’ beaks and pigs’ tails.
The original article contains 1,759 words, the summary contains 249 words. Saved 86%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
This is the best summary I could come up with:
In the summer of 2021, European Union policymakers promised to phase out cages for 300 million farmed pigs, egg-laying hens, rabbits, and other species, which Vox contributor Jonathan Moens then called “the most ambitious plan ever by any government to end the cruel practice.”
But two years later, after pressure from the powerful European meat lobby and concerns over rising food costs due to inflation, extreme weather, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, that legislation — along with a suite of other reforms that would reduce the suffering of potentially billions of farmed animals — has been thrown into doubt.
Copa-Cogeca, a prominent EU farming lobby, argues that a cage ban would significantly raise food costs, reduce farmer income, and make Europe reliant on meat and egg imports — conclusions animal advocacy groups contest.
When asked when the commission would publish the three other animal welfare proposals, a spokesperson told Vox that it’s “now reflecting on and carefully assessing important aspects, including the related costs and the appropriate length of the transition period.
The EU has also implemented a partial ban on cages for female breeding pigs, allowing pork producers to lock them in small crates barely bigger than their bodies for about a third of their four-month pregnancies, and for several weeks as they wean piglets.
Earlier this year, a leaked draft assessment of the commission’s proposals revealed that it’s considering phasing out painful mutilations routinely performed on farmed animals, like the cutting of hens’ beaks and pigs’ tails.
The original article contains 1,759 words, the summary contains 249 words. Saved 86%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!