Creature comforts

Prevention is better than cure – this is the central concept of the animal health strategy, which was overwhelmingly supported by the committee on agriculture. This concept is an obvious one, but also a very important one. We remember well the problems of BSE and avian flu, which resulted in the slaughter of millions of animals. It was a horrible experience and we do not want it to happen ever again. Such experiences have shown us that we need to improve cooperation on an EU level to better protect animal health, which, owing to the possibility of direct or indirect transmission of diseases, is closely linked to human health.

The strategy sets out high-level aims and objectives to guide the development of animal health policy in the period up to 2013. It covers the health of all animals in the EU, including those kept for food purposes, farming, research, sport, companionship, entertainment, in zoos and wild animals, where there is a risk of them transmitting disease to other animals or to humans. It also covers the health of animals transported to, from and within the EU. The specific objectives of the strategy are to ensure a high level of public health and food safety by minimising the incidence of biological and chemical risks to humans; to promote animal health by preventing or reducing the incidence of animal diseases, and in this way to support farming and the rural community; to improve economic growth, cohesion and competitiveness, assuring free circulation of good and proportionate animal movements; and to promote farming practices and animal welfare, which prevent animal health-related threats and minimise environmental impacts.

The strategy put forward by the commission is non-controversial. All the measures put forward are necessary and worthy of support. It is a good document that can form a useful basis for action that will bring about a genuine improvement in animal health.

My report, adopted by the agriculture committee, focuses on several issues to which the original communication fails to pay sufficient attention. First, the funding issue is covered in too general a fashion in the original communication. The proposed measures will give rise to increased costs and therefore appropriate funding arrangements need to be clearly laid down. Second, there is the greater risk posed by large livestock holdings where industrial breeding methods are used. Animal disease control would be facilitated by placing restrictions on the size of farms. Third, animal transport always increases the risk of disease and should therefore be kept to an absolute minimum. And fourth, the report strongly supports vaccination as a fundamental means of preventing disease.

During a debate on my report in the agriculture committee, two questions proved somewhat controversial. One of them was the problem of high-density farms. Not all members of the committee agreed with my opinion that the risk of disease on large high-density farms is higher than on smaller farms. I suggested including the opinion that EU policy should adopt a “friendlier” approach to smaller farms than for large, high-density farms, but the majority of committee members did not share this point of view. The second controversial question was that of animal transport. I proposed considering a reduction on the maximum period of transport time for live animals to eight hours, but the majority of committee members were against this proposal. These two controversial questions will probably be the subject of amendments at the plenary session.

Finally, I would like to underline that one of main concepts of the strategy, and of my report as well, is the great importance of animal welfare, which in turn is central to better prevention of diseases generally. I would also like to emphasise a very important declaration expressed in my report: animals are living, sentient beings and therefore cannot be treated as commodities. As the report says, the protection and humanitarian treatment of animals is a cultural and civilisational challenge for 21st-century Europe. This should be a general principle of our approach to animals.

In conclusion, a quote from Mahatma Gandhi: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

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