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The European Parliament had a vote on a resolution for a new animal welfare strategy for 2016 – 2020. If you live in any of the EU member states these are laws that have an impact in your daily lives and the legislation that covers animal welfare in your country. Outlined below are the key elements of what this motion pertains to.

In the UK we vote for MEPs to represent us from their seat in the European Parliament. It would be fair to say that an awful lot of us pay little attention to what goes on there, however that has changed somewhat over the past six months.

In this particular vote, of all the United Kingdom representatives eligible to vote on this motion, JUST FOUR voted in favour. All four from the same political party, The Green Party.

At the time of writing we don’t know whether the UK will vote to stay or remain in the European Union but given the intensity of the debate that has unfolded over the past few months, whichever way the vote goes – in or out -, it would be nice to think that we folks with a passion for animals might make a conscious decision to follow and hold to account the public servants who we vote for when it comes to important legislation that impacts the welfare of animals in our own country.

One question we animal advocates should all be willing to ask about the people we send to Parliament to represent us, is this: how are they voting on issues relating to animal welfare, a subject about which we are passionate (if they’re even bothering to vote at all)?

We get laws (such as breed specific legislation) that are universally unpopular amongst many dog lovers and animal welfare campaigners. These are not always laws that come from the EU (bsl being a prime example). We do have the power to influence legislation before it is imposed on us by, quite simply, paying enough attention to it in the first place. It’s not enough to complain about unfair or inadequate animal welfare legislation if we did nothing to try and influence the initial process.

Proposal: European Parliament resolution on a new animal welfare strategy for 2016-2020

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Article 13 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),

– having regard to Article 43 of the TFEU on the functioning of the common agricultural policy and the common fisheries policy,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 15 February 2012 on the European Union Strategy for the Protection and Welfare of Animals 2012-2015 (COM(2012)0006),

– having regard to its resolution of 4 July 2012 on the European Union Strategy for the Protection and Welfare of Animals 2012-2015(1),

– having regard to Rules 128(5) and 123(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas EU legislation in the field of animal welfare contributes to a level playing field within the Union and thereby to a well-functioning internal market;

B. whereas European citizens have a strong interest in animal welfare and wish to be able to make more informed choices as consumers;

C. whereas national rules on animal welfare must not be contrary to the principles of the EU single market;

D. whereas animal welfare is interrelated with animal and public health;

E. whereas, owing to their complexity and differing interpretations, EU and national rules on animal welfare create legal uncertainty and can put producers in certain Member States at a serious competitive disadvantage;

F. whereas the level of animal welfare in the Union is one of the highest in the world;

G. whereas animal welfare should be further improved on the basis of prevailing scientific findings and with due regard for the efficiency and competitiveness of agricultural livestock husbandry; whereas coherent animal welfare standards across the EU would benefit from a definition of good animal husbandry;

H. whereas a high level of animal welfare is important to ensure sustainability, although it entails investments and additional operating costs that are not distributed proportionately throughout the food chain;

1. Urges the Commission to implement, without delay, the points outstanding from the European Union Strategy on the Protection and Welfare of Animals 2012-2015;

2. Urges the Commission to evaluate the existing strategy and to draw up a new and ambitious strategy for the protection and welfare of animals for the 2016-2020 period in order to build on the work of the previous strategy and ensure the continuation of a framework for delivering high animal welfare standards across the Member States;

3. Calls on the Commission to ensure an updated, comprehensive and clear legislative framework which fully implements the requirements of Article 13 of the TFEU; reiterates, however, that under no circumstances must animal welfare levels be lowered on account of administrative simplification; stresses that these objectives are not mutually exclusive;

4. Stresses that Article 13 of the TFEU is of general application and horizontal, and as such is as important as the provisions on agriculture, the environment or consumer protection;

5. Recalls that Parliament is engaged in ongoing negotiations, and has adopted pieces of legislation addressing issues related to animal welfare, such as animal health, zootechnical conditions, organic production and official controls;

6. Recognises the efforts already made by farmers on animal welfare in the various Member States;

7. Urges the Commission, where there is clear scientific evidence demonstrating animal welfare problems, to adapt policy instruments or introduce new ones to resolve these problems; asks the Commission to monitor closely the implementation in the Member States of the EU legislation relating to animal welfare;

8. Expresses its concern about the effective implementation and enforcement of current EU legislation relating to the welfare of animals, given the complexity and large number of relevant legislative acts; stresses that improving the enforcement of, and compliance with, existing legislation should be the key goal of all animal health and welfare rules;

9. Urges the Commission, at the same time, to be more ambitious in including and prioritising reciprocity of animal welfare standards as a non-trade concern in its trade policy and when negotiating international trade agreements, and to promote animal welfare in third countries by requiring equivalent welfare standards for imported animals and products, accompanied by strict controls;

10. Underlines the importance of funding for the common agricultural policy which is adequate and compatible with the level of our ambitions, in order to prevent the relocation of production and trade to countries and continents with lower animal welfare standards;

11. Calls on the Commission to develop, exchange and disseminate scientifically based best practices and to support innovation and research on the development of new animal welfare techniques and technologies;

12. Recalls that there are imbalances in the food chain that place the primary producer at a disadvantage, and that this situation limits the scope for animal welfare investments at farm level;

13. Recalls that producers are overburdened with administrative requirements and that, in the continued search for administrative simplification, this European strategy should not further increase the existing burden; stresses the need to ensure stability and predictability of investments in the sector, while ensuring fair competition internationally;

14. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

Who Were The Only UK Representatives to Vote in Favour?

CLICK HERE To See How All Other UK MEPs Voted

A woman who has dedicated her working life to animal welfare has started work as the RSPCA’s Chief Scientific Officer along with her rescue dog Bridie.

Dr Julia Wrathall has worked for the RSPCA for more than two decades, including most recently as the head of the charity’s farm animals department for 12 years.

Her new appointment sees her leading the RSPCA’s four science teams at the charity’s headquarters near Horsham, West Sussex, accompanied by her Irish Setter Bridie.

She said: “I feel both excited and privileged to be taking on this new role, heading up such an outstanding group of staff.”

Julia has a lifelong association with and love of dogs. She is a dog training instructor, being a strong advocate and practitioner of positive, motivational, reward-based methods, and has recently adopted an Irish Setter from RSPCA Halifax, Huddersfield & District Animal Centre following the dog’s rehabilitation after being rescued from appalling conditions by RSPCA Inspectors.

Dr Wrathall said: “Bridie was rescued from terrible conditions but her positive nature has shone through despite the horrors of her former life. Thanks to the wonderful care and dedication of the those who rescued her and brought her back to physical and mental health, she now lives life to the full and enjoys every minute of her ‘working life’ at RSPCA HQ.

“Her friendly, happy and affectionate nature makes her a big favourite with human and canine colleagues alike.

“Having her by my side at work each day, with her unfailingly positive and upbeat approach to life, is a constant reminder both of the amazing work of our inspectors, vets, animal centre staff and volunteers, and of the extraordinary willingness of dogs to move on from past horrors and give life – and humans – a second chance. What an incredible species they are, and aren’t we lucky to have them in our lives?”

The RSPCA’s Science Group has four departments specialising in companion and farm animals, animals used in research and wildlife. This in-house expert resource was first introduced in the 1970s to help enhance the RSPCA’s knowledge and understanding of the physical and behavioural needs of different species, thereby enabling us to act as effectively as possible to improve their welfare through a scientifically informed, evidence based approach.

Julia said: “If we are to ensure that the RSPCA provides the best possible welfare advice, information and support in all areas of human interaction with animals and to the many and varied stakeholders, it is essential that we take proper account of available factual information about what the different species need in order to have a good quality of life.

“The Science Group’s role in gathering and analysing information from animal welfare science and other robust evidence sources to develop and apply practical solutions is therefore a very important aspect of the Society’s work.

“Whether we are producing fact sheets to advise the general public about the welfare of wildlife in their gardens or how to understand their dog’s behaviour, or developing welfare standards and guidance to improve the welfare of farmed livestock or animals used in research, it’s crucial that our advice is both scientifically informed but also practically achievable.”

Julia added: “I’ll be aiming to help maintain and build on the amazing work of the RSPCA Science Group both within and beyond the Society, and also to raise awareness and understanding of the existence, nature and scope of our work, not least the hands-on, practical approach we take to addressing welfare problems through applying animal welfare science in practice.

“This is a particularly exciting time for the RSPCA following the recent appointment of our new Chief Executive and I’ll be working to ensure the Science Group contributes to making this new era a positive and progressive one for animal welfare.”

In addition to their external advisory and advocacy role, the Science teams also work closely with others across the organisation, providing advice and support to the Inspectorate and animal centre staff, as well as working to help ensure that the RSPCA’s campaigns, press work and educational materials are evidence-based and focused on priority welfare issues.

Julia joined the RSPCA as a Scientific Officer in 1994 following a degree in biochemistry, a Masters in animal production and a doctorate in ruminant endocrinology. She became Head of the Farm Animals Department in 2003. During her career at the RSPCA, she has represented the Society on a number of industry, scientific and governmental committees in the UK and overseas, and overseen on-going development of the widely respected RSPCA welfare standards for farm animals which are utilised by many in the UK and beyond, and underpin the RSPCA Assured ethical food labelling assurance scheme, formerly known as Freedom Food.

Julia has also travelled on behalf of the RSPCA to various countries including France, Belgium, Croatia and Australia to provide advocacy and advice on animal welfare and forge relationships with relevant organisations and sectors to enable collaborative work to progress welfare issues

The shocking truth concerning the vast numbers of unwanted dogs in Britain today.

As a national voluntary animal protection group based in the South West of England, South West Animal Protection (SWAP) and countless numbers of rescue organizations, charities and independent rescue workers across the UK, face this grim reality every day.

The members of the SWAP team regularly compile and distribute emergency email appeals for dogs on death row across the UK. They give their own account of the dire situation:

The computer goes on, the emails download and already there are four appeals for dogs on death row, fourteen dogs in total, thirteen of which are Staffordshire Bull Terriers commonly referred to as ‘Staffies’. These desperate dogs are only days away from death, often perfectly healthy, friendly, loving little beings who for one reason or another have ended up in a dog pound, abandoned or discarded by their owners. Now in their last few living hours all they can do is await their fate, will they be saved, or will their anxious barks be silenced, their wagging tails be stilled by the harrowing lethal injection?

With not a moment to lose, we immediately set to work, piecing together a special email appeal for the first group of dogs. The details of each individual have been listed, now we insert the photos, this is always the most emotionally challenging task, the desperate faces haunt you, their begging, mournful eyes staring back at you from the computer screen almost piercing your heart, each face crying out “please don’t let me die!”

Eleven of the fourteen dogs are less than three and a half years old, one of these being a six to nine month old pup.

The appeal will go out across the network to our supporters in the UK, a number of these being rescue centres or independent rescue workers. All we can do now is anxiously await the response.

The lives of these fourteen dogs are now depending on the efforts of the animal lovers across the country receiving our appeals. There are so many caring hard-working individuals who endeavour to save dogs like these every day, many of these ‘unsung heroes’ have full-time jobs and dedicate the few spare hours they have voluntarily, rescuing and transporting unwanted dogs from pounds to a safe haven, some will even place dogs in private kennels and pay the boarding fees out of their own pockets if this means keeping the dogs alive, often putting themselves in debt.

Dedicated rescue charities and organizations are working tirelessly on a daily basis to prevent unwanted dogs from being killed. ‘Doris Banham Dog Rescue’ (Registered Charity: 1103372, Website: www.dogsos.co.uk ) is one such amazing charity and was featured in the recent Panorama programme.

We have put out many appeals over the past three years on behalf of Doris Banham for some of the many thousands of dogs they have painstakingly saved from death row. The team at Doris Banham do incredible work for dogs in dog pounds that face imminent death.

Paul N Davis, Trustee for Doris Banham describes the work that they do, “In the last 4 years Doris Banham Dog Rescue have saved over 10,000 dogs from being put to sleep in dog council pounds in the UK. These dogs were rehomed direct by their Charity or placed by them into other approved non-destruct rescues who found the dogs the loving homes they deserved. Every dog is awarded full rescue back up by the Charity to give them the best ever chance in life. This includes vaccinations, veterinary treatment, training, neutering, microchipping, homechecks and a safe place to come back to should circumstances change in their new home. 10,000 dogs that would have otherwise died unloved in the past 4 years have now been given a new start in life”.

Most rescue shelters depend heavily on volunteers, fundraising and donations to enable them to carry out their vital life-saving work and many are struggling to survive in today’s current financial climate, others have already sadly perished. For those rescues that have managed to stay afloat, the workload is excruciating, kennels are constantly full, no sooner than one becomes vacant another unwanted dog will arrive and fill the space.

The simple, heart-rending truth is there just aren’t enough rescue spaces across the UK to accommodate the countless numbers of unwanted dogs in need and so thousands of healthy and often young dogs are put to sleep every year. The situation is now dire and needs to be addressed.

Over breeding, irresponsible dog ownership and extortionate vets fees are all to blame.

Over breeding is by far the most serious problem. We despair at the amount of people who insist on buying dogs from breeders, puppy farms the internet etc. while thousands of unwanted dogs are waiting desperately in rescue kennels for loving homes and thousands more are being euthanized. The slogan “Don’t Breed or Buy While Homeless Dogs Die” is commonly used by animal shelters around the world and it speaks volumes. We urge anyone thinking of taking on a dog to please adopt one from a reputable rescue instead of buying a dog from a breeder, puppy farm etc. If every prospective dog owner was to do this, then the numbers of unwanted dogs in the UK would fall dramatically.

Spaying and neutering is also an essential means to reducing the numbers of unwanted dogs. All dog owners should have their pet spayed or neutered, this will prevent any accidental litters. Most reputable rescue organizations will spay or neuter before rehoming a dog, however, some smaller charities don’t always have the funds to do this but they will always recommend to the new owner that this is done.

Dog breeders, be they commercial or independent will of course not consider spaying or neutering as they will continue to breed dogs as a means to make a fast buck, so it is up to the members of the public to refrain from supporting these breeders and adopt a dog from a rescue centre instead.

Puppy farms and dog breeders across the UK are churning out dogs at an alarming rate. Many of these seedy and often ‘elusive’ establishments keep their dogs in appalling conditions and it is not uncommon for puppies from these places to be found in a poor state of health.

Breeding bitches are forced to produce litter after litter until they become exhausted and even disfigured in some cases. We have put out appeals for some female dogs that have been used so often for breeding that their delicate teats have become inflamed and enlarged to the point where they are dragging along the ground. It is heart breaking to witness such abuse.

It is now the responsibility of the government to take serious measures to stop all the over breeding in this country, as this is by far the biggest contributing factor to the escalating problem of so many unwanted dogs. The general public can also help by lobbying the government, writing to David Cameron and their own local MP’s urging them to take the necessary measures to stop the appalling and unforgivable carnage of thousands of dogs in the UK.

We feel that vets are also partly to blame for people abandoning their dogs. It is inconceivable to think that some people might be willing to give up their dog before giving up their X-box or DVD player, but sadly this is the attitude of some people. Exorbitant vets fees are not helping the situation. If a dog becomes sick then some less committed dog owners are tempted into giving up their pet when faced with the vet’s bill. The current recession has placed the security of the household pet on even shakier ground. How many sick animals are being neglected and left to suffer because
some penny-pinching individuals are unwilling to pay extortionate prices for treatment? It is the responsibility of the vets to reduce their fees which will encourage owners to keep and look after their animals properly.

Many dogs end up in rescues, pounds etc due to dog owner’s lack of foresight and lack of commitment. If people were to think more seriously before taking on a dog then this occurrence could be avoided.

Owning a dog is a huge responsibility and although the rewards of adopting a furry friend are immeasurable, there are several important points to consider before adopting a dog.

Financially, can you afford to pay for food, vets fees etc? Work and social commitments also need to be taken into consideration, a dog is a pack animal and so should not be left on its own for long periods of time as this would cause distress and anxiety.

Are you planning to move or change jobs in the near future? If so, then the dog’s needs would have to be considered and your lifestyle adapted to fit in with these needs.

Too often we hear of cases where couples have split up or moved house and as a result of these changes have decided to get rid of their dog, this is immoral and unacceptable, would these people give up their children under the same circumstances? It is extremely unlikely, so why is it deemed acceptable to give up their dog? Once a dog becomes a member of your family, it should remain so for life. To quote the words of ‘Dogs Trust’, the largest dog welfare charity in the UK “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas”.

Sadly the ‘Staffie’ is far too often becoming a common resident in dog pounds and rescue centres.

This friendly, loyal breed has become the victim of many macho would-be ‘hard men’ of today’s society who are often using these dogs as a status symbol, a tool to boost their inflated, ambitious egos, the innocent Staffie, totally oblivious to its owner’s motives. These low-life thugs will disown their dog at the drop of a hat as soon as it is deemed as an inconvenience. Sadly, these unwholesome individuals have created a bad image for the Staffies in the eyes of the general public, this is a tragedy as these special dogs make wonderful, loyal, family pets as any Staffie rescue will tell you.

The Greyhound is another greatly exploited breed. Tens of thousands of these placid gentle-natured dogs are bred every year to supply the commercial racing industry. Thousands of these dogs are killed at the end of their
racing career, usually at the tender age of three or four years and countless more are either abandoned on the streets and picked up as strays or end up in rescues, all adding to the extremely overwhelming unwanted dog population.

There is no end to the amount of suffering that dogs in our society are being forced to endure. These living, breathing, loyal sentient beings have been ultimately betrayed by us. Mahatma Gandhi once said “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the ways its animals are treated”. It would seem Britain is not so ‘Great’ after all, we have become a nation of convenience and throwaway ‘junkies’, self orientated and motivated by greed, this together with a lack of compassion has led to devastating consequences for our so-called ‘best friend’. Britain has become a nation of dog killers!

Photo by Bev Goodwin