Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-10-21-Speech-2-206"
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"en.20031021.6.2-206"2
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".
I thank the honourable Member for raising this important subject and affording me the opportunity to outline the Commission’s thinking on the matter.
The Commission will closely follow the implementation of these recommendations, which provide for significant welfare improvements.
The honourable Member currently refers in her question to the report of the Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare concerning welfare aspects of the production of foie gras in ducks and geese. This report was adopted in December 1998 and covers a wide range of issues including : the origins and distribution of foie gras production; the practice of rearing and force-feeding: the behaviour of ducks and geese; the consequences of force-feeding, in particular welfare indicators; socio-economic aspects of improving the welfare of animals used in the foie gras industry; and research.
The scientists did not look at the issue of force-feeding in isolation, but as part of the full range of factors involved in producing foie gras. Nevertheless, in recognising that force-feeding of birds, as currently practised, is detrimental to the welfare of the birds, the Scientific Committee went on to make a number of recommendations.
The main aim of the recommendations is to improve production practices so that avoidable suffering can be mitigated. Thus, according to the scientists, the objectives would be, in order of priority: to reduce mortality and morbidity rates; to decrease the amounts of pain and distress that all endure in the process; and to allow the animals to engage in normal behavioural activities.
The report makes clear that it is very important for the further development of foie gras production to introduce alternative techniques that do not require force-feeding in an intensive way.
My services have drawn the attention of the industry to this report. As a consequence, the industry is studying and researching better production techniques that are more welfare-friendly.
In addition, I would like to draw to the honourable Member’s attention the two recommendations in the framework of the European Convention for the Protection of Animals Kept for Farming Purposes. They concern specifically the protection of ducks and geese kept for the production of foie gras. I am pleased to say that the Commission actively participated in the adoption of the recommendations.
These recommendations provide for welfare considerations for the breeding of ducks and geese and, in particular, for the phasing out of small individual cages for ducks. The recommendations reflect the necessity to reduce the most intensive form of farming, as recommended in the report of the Scientific Committee to which I have already referred.
The Community, all Member States, and most of the acceding countries are party to this Convention and, as such, are expected to give effect to the recommendations. In particular, parties to the Convention will have to report the status of the implementation of these particular recommendations to the Council of Europe after 1 January 2005."@en1
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