Many EU Member States continue to break the EU’s animal welfare laws.

We’ve just written to the Health and Animal Welfare Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi - the very first EU Commissioner to ever carry a reference to animal welfare in his title - calling for action, for the sake of farmed pigs and calves still suffering from inhumane practices that are in breach of the EU’s own legislation.

A painful practice

Routine tail docking has been banned in the EU for 31 years, but this hasn’t stopped countries from carrying it out. In this painful practice, part of a pig’s tail is removed to stop it being bitten by others. It affects millions of farmed pigs each year.

Research shows that pigs raised in enriched environments, for example with straw and enough space, are unlikely to bite each other’s tails. Tail docking is therefore not only cruel, but also an inadequate solution for the real problem: the unnatural, intensive conditions these highly intelligent, sentient animals are living in.

Taking action

That’s why, together with over 30 NGOs, we’ve written to the European Commissioner for Animal Welfare Olivér Várhelyi, demanding better welfare for farmed pigs.

Our new joint letter urges the EU to properly enforce its ban on routine tail docking, and ensure member states fulfil their legal obligations to provide enriched environments for pigs.

Just this month, the Commissioner signalled his support for EU animal welfare improvements at an event we organised with Eurogroup for Animals. Now we’re holding him to account.

Hungry calves

This isn’t the only EU animal welfare law that is being broken. Thousands of young, unweaned calves are exported from Ireland to France each year, spending far too long without food. The law says they shouldn’t wait more than at most eighteen hours between feedings. In reality, they often end up waiting 27 hours or more for food. The EU Commission has acknowledged this – but fails to act.

We wrote to the EU Commission last year urging it to enforce its own law, and have received no reply. Which is why we’ve teamed up with more than 20 NGOs and written to them again, this time to the new Commissioner.

We’ve also followed up on our letter, sent in July 2024 to Stena Line, a ferry company which continues to allow these inhumane journeys to take place on its ships. We’re still waiting for a response to our first letter, which is why we’re contacting them again.

Our Chief Policy Advisor, Peter Stevenson said:

“Urgent action from the EU and Stena Line can put a quick end to this immense animal suffering. When the EU fails to enforce its own laws, it undermines them. But we won’t give up and are ready to take further action for the sake of all the animals still suffering.”

Pig suffering & transport of young calves: how we’re holding the EU to account