Conseil
Européen des Jeunes Agriculteurs
Animal
factsheet
February
2003
New
relations to animals – breeding, health, welfare,
and transport
In
recent years the European public has come to question the
fundamentals of EU livestock production. As young farmers we
wish to inform and reassure consumers of the ethical and
quality production methods of our farms and want to
influence the development of the new policies which are
practical for the farmer
and acceptable to the wider public.
The
history of animal breeding:
It
is a natural part of society to have animal production, and
is of extreme importance as food for human beings. From
the mid-19th century, producers have been
specialising in breeding. With the rising number of cities,
changes began to appear in agriculture : the city-dwellers
were quite incapable of feeding themselves. An increase in
the yields of cereals made it possible to feed more people
while reducing the land area needed for cultivation. The
area left free for pasture land and crops used for feeding
cattle could be increased: it became possible to increase
the quantity and quality of livestock. Regions and farms
began to specialise in breeding. The
livestock sector is specially concentrated in the Northern
part of Europe, and countries, and continues to have an
important role to play provide employment across the EU
often in marginal areas and therefore helps to sustain
remote rural communities.Today,
animal production is 43%
of all EU agricultural income.
Animal
diseases:
The
increasingly productive animals also have disadvantages :
the animal health is more fragile. They need more preventive
health care, such as vaccines and anti-parasite treatments,
etc…
The
logic behind using
vaccination or low levels of antibiotic in feed to prevent
diseases developing is often being questioned. In
many situations it is better for the welfare of the animal
concerned to use preventative measures to avoid serious and
life threatening diseases from developing, in the same way
that humans are vaccinated against diseases. The verifiable
standards for the use of preventative veterinary products
demand rigorous testing and research of their effectiveness
and toxicity, and only after being added to a list of
approved products can they be used in the livestock sector.
Animal
welfare standards:
The fact that animals have been treated well during breeding
will not necessarily be reflected in the quality of the
final products but can effect the quantity of the product.
High welfare production systems are based on the provision
of adequate space for animals, freedom from illness and
respect for their natural behaviour, failure to do so will
result in stress for the animal and increase the likelihood
of illness or disease. The management of animals is to a
large extent dependant on the ability of the individual
farmer. Young farmers are more likely to concentrate their
activity in a limited number of livestock system, meaning
becoming specialised in an efficient production system,
which allows the young farmer to develop the skills which
makes him/her better able to respond to changing behaviour
of the animals. Farmers not respecting the wellbeing of
animals must be penalised, and a minimum standard of
training in animal husbandry should be introduced across
Europe, starting with testing the skills of young farmers
entering the industry.
Live
transport of animals:
The transport of livestock can happen due to move animals to
another part for further growth, for example the movement of
calves from Ireland to the Netherlands for veal production,
or for slaughter, for example the transport of lambs from the UK
to France. The
reason for the first movements is specialisation of
production techniques in particular regions, which in a very
simplified way can be explained as that breeding which is
labour intensive is being realised in regions which in the
past had excess labour while fattening is being realised in
regions with much capital and/or cheaper buildings for
instance caused by good whether conditions and/or with big
grass land and/or with cheap access to imported or
domestically produced feed. That is the movements can help
to improve efficiency and ultimately reduce costs to the
consumer. The reason for the second movements is linked to
rationalisation within the slaughter industry coupled with
high standards of hygiene have seen the closure of small
local slaughter houses and the creation of fewer large
efficient facilities, again leading to the need for animal
movements.
Cross border trade is important with 5.5% or 20 million
animals moved annually according to Eurostat.There are no
European subsidies for the transport of animals within the
EU, however there is financial restitution for the export of
cattle to third countries provided high standards of animal
welfare are respected.
Traceability:
to
have a system in place which can follow an individual animal
from birth, through its life and processing into meat
products, to reach consumers. Such a system applies to
cattle across the EU with similar proposals for other
species. Also linked to this traceability are recognised
certification systems of product responsibility, such as ISO
and HACCP, which should give information about the breeding
conditions of each animal. Each part in the food chain, from
the suppliers of veterinary and animal feed products,
transport systems, butchers, and relevant government
authorities right to the point of sale to the consumer, must
continue to ensure this traceability making it possible for
the consumer to identify what he/she is eating. At present
this integrated approach is only possible in a European
context as no common internation rules exist on how treat
and raise animals. This means that it case when the European
industry import non European products, it will no longer be
possible for the consumer to get the same information about
breeding. It is time to develop international rules on
minimum standards and a common labelling system to meet
consumers requests and it should be possible to limit
importation of products which does not fulfil these
standards as for example beef produced with the use of
artificial hormones.
We
all have a role in encouraging that all the steps in the
production of animal produce are done to allow animals to
live in the most natural conditions, so if all the actors in
the food chain respect the different conditions mentioned
above it also depends on the consumers to influence this
process through his/her choice at the time of purchase. The
consumer has as well to play in the whole process in terms
of behaviour, as for instance by avoiding bringing back meat
or meat products produced on other continents, which may be
contaminated and lead to the outbreak of diseases in Europe.
For
further information about CEJA and its activities contact:
Henriette Christensen
tel: + 32 2 230 42 10
Secretary General
fax: + 32 2 280 18 05
rue de la Science 23-25,
bte 11
e-mail: ceja@ceja.be
B-1040 Brussels
website:www.ceja.org
CEJA
is made up of 22 national organisations from the 15 European
Union Member States and 6 associated members from the
candidate countries representing around one million young
farmers in Europe. CEJA represents the political interests
of its members with the primary goal of ensuring
installation of young farmers, and is considered one of the
key advocates for the agricultural sector. CEJA’s main
objectives are to ease the installation in Europe, to inform
and train young farmers, to act as a forum for communication
and dialogue between young farmers and to sensitise European
citizens to farming related issues.
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