The new European Commission work programme for 2024 has been met with concern from an animal welfare group over its lack of protection for animals in the proposals.
The programme, published today (Tuesday, October 17) and titled ‘Delivering today and preparing for tomorrow’, states that the EU is “coming forward still this year with proposals on the protection of animals during transport”.
However, animal welfare group, Eurogroup for Animals has said the EU has “failed to deliver on its commitment to better protect billions of animals”.
The proposal on transport of animals is only one of the four promised regulations that the EU has committed to for the revision of animal welfare legislation, according to the Eurogroup for Animals.
Animal welfare regulations
Eurogroup for Animals said that the EU has “failed” to include regulations for kept animals, slaughter, and labelling in the 2024 work programme.
The animal welfare group added that it is “particularly worrying” that the regulations for kept animals was absent, as it said the EU was “expected to deliver on its commitment to transition to cage-free systems”.
Reineke Hameleers, CEO of Eurogroup for Animals, said: “We are extremely dismayed that the European Commission did not have the political will to commit to its promise, turning its back on citizens and science.
“We will not give up, but keep pushing for the European Commission to commit on a clear timeline for the other proposals. The time is now. We simply will not accept any more delays.”
Proposals
The EU document stated that the European Green Deal is a “world-leading effort to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss”.
The European Commission work programme for 2024 also confirmed that the EU intends to “come forward” this year with other proposals, including those on “preventing microplastic pollution, improving forest monitoring and a mobility package”.
Eurogroup for Animals noted that a regulation under the chemicals strategy for sustainability is “notably absent from the programme”.
The regulation is “a key element to help further promote a chemical strategy which advances in more concrete terms the phase-out of animal testing for regulatory purposes”, according to the animal rights group.