Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-02-13-Speech-1-083"
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"en.20060213.11.1-083"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I should like to start first of all by thanking the members of the committees which addressed this matter and, of course, I should like to make a point of thanking the rapporteur, Mr Berman, on the very valuable work which he has done and for all the efforts which he made to bring this initiative to a positive conclusion.
I know that the proposals, when they reach the decision stage, may not fully satisfy all sides. Some would like to us to move more in one direction, feeling perhaps that we have not gone far enough, while others may believe that we should be more conservative and that we have already gone too far. However, I believe that this proposal, as it stands with many of the amendments tabled, is a balanced, logical proposal, which strikes a balance between the need for better handling of animals, for the welfare of the animals, especially in the chicken sector, on the one hand, while at the same time taking account of the financial cost and burden which it may cause to industry and undertakings in this sector.
However, we should not underestimate, first of all, the close link between the proper handling of animals and the health of the animals, and this is particularly important now that we are debating the measures which will be taken in order to combat avian influenza, which has now arrived – albeit only in wild birds – in the European Union. On the contrary, if we follow a policy of proper handling of animals, all the protective measures, all the precautions we take are much more effective. Much better supervision is being carried out, there is much better identification of the health problems which can arise and, of course, this means, from a practical point of view, fewer diseases for the animals, fewer fatalities, fewer unsuitable chickens in such cases and, hence, fewer losses and lower costs. Consequently, it may, if you look at it superficially, appear to be a cost for entrepreneurs, for producers, for farmers; however, in actual fact, it is a benefit which will result in savings and will bring producers financial benefits.
In addition, I would just like to state briefly that the World Bank recently issued a report setting out the financial benefits of the application of a welfare policy to animals and illustrating that there is also a financial benefit from these policies.
The second point I wish to comment on is, of course, the question of aid for producers. It is particularly important that they should not bear the entire cost; however, European consumers are prepared to pay more if they know that certain products have been produced on the basis of policies for the welfare and proper handling of animals. Labelling – voluntary at first – we shall be presenting a report on compulsory labelling – will give producers the opportunity to make full use of the fact that they follow a policy which is well received by European citizens and, on the basis of our studies and research, they will be able to charge something extra, because European consumers are prepared to spend more. Of course, there is also a general, multi-proposal strategy, the strategic plan for animal welfare, which was adopted recently by the Commission and will come before Parliament for debate. This proposal may have preceded the proposal on the action plan, but it is in keeping with the principles and philosophy and proposals of this action plan.
Finally, I should like to mention the well-known question of the World Trade Organisation. I know that European producers may often feel that they are at a disadvantage to third countries. Constant efforts are being made to introduce terms and conditions for the welfare and proper handling of animals on the international market. It is not easy, but we are promoting it. The recent adoption by the World Organisation for Animal Health of principles relating to the proper treatment of animals is a first step in this direction and we shall intensify efforts in the same direction.
Nonetheless, bearing in mind the very high level of sensitivity of European consumers, we believe that labelling could give European producers an advantage. It will not be a disadvantage for them to follow animal welfare policies. On the contrary, something like this will give them access to the very large market of European consumers."@en1
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