Place du Luxembourg 12, 1050 Ixelles, Belgium
Tel. +32 (0) 2 709 1330 Email:
[email protected]
Mob. +30 6972004963
To:
Minister Madis Kallas
Minister Riina Sikkut
21 November 2023
FACTORY FARMS AND THE RISE OF ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE
Dear Minister Kallas,
Dear Minister Sikkut,
On the occasion of the 2024 European Antibiotic Awareness Day (EAAD) and the World Antimicrobial
Awareness Week (WAAW), we call on you to make sure that intensive animal agriculture does not
further contribute to the rising number of human deaths from antimicrobial resistance.
The use of cages, high stocking densities and the associated stress contribute to the emergence and
propagation of resistant pathogens. EU citizens have spoken, with 1.4 million supporting the European
Citizens’ Initiative ‘End the Cage Age’. The EU has raised hopes that it will work to make the bloc’s
food systems lead the way in the transition to farming that would not breed dangerous pathogens,
but would instead respect local communities, the environment and animals.
Even though the European Commission has made a commitment to prohibit caged farming and the
European Parliament has supported such a ban, the shelving of a comprehensive overhaul of the EU
animal welfare regulation is a significant step backwards in the fight against antimicrobial resistance,
both in the EU and with a negative spill over to its trade partners in animal protein.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – “a slow tsunami that threatens to undo a century of medical
progress,” according to the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) – is recognised
as a threat by all EU member states. An ever-growing body of research demonstrates evidence that
genes causing antimicrobial resistance can originate in animals and be transferred to people. Other
studies point to even greater risks; for instance, colistin use in animals is linked to compromised innate
immune response in humans.
An ambitious revision of animal welfare legislation is critical for cutting the reliance on
antimicrobials that characterises factory farms in most of EU member states. The necessary changes
include1:
• avoiding overcrowding and providing sufficient space, including phasing out of cages;
• abandoning fully indoor systems of husbandry;
• reducing stress;
• enabling animals to perform positive natural behaviours;
• providing enrichment;
• ending the early weaning of piglets;
• avoiding excessive group sizes;
• minimising the mixing of animals from different groups;
• ending routine mutilations;
• maintaining good air quality;
• encouraging a move away from genetic selection for high production levels;
• minimising transport;
1
The European Food Safety Authority in 2022 and 2023 has highlighted the risks of transmission of AMR during
animal transport, and listed minimum welfare requirements for specific animals, including pigs, broilers, laying
hens, dairy cows, calves, ducks, geese and quail.
• avoiding use of live animal markets.
Sustainable consumption in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal 12 must be promoted
through clear and mandatory method-of-production labelling for all products containing animal-
derived ingredients. Accompanied by necessary oversight of compliance with production
requirements, such labelling would help consumers differentiate between high and low animal
welfare standards and make better-informed purchasing choices.
Importantly, public procurement should strongly favour products with lower levels of antimicrobials
involved in their production to ensure public funds are not used to prop up farming practices
contributing to antimicrobial resistance.
Finally, the EU must ensure that all animal protein available for sale in its internal market regardless
of provenance complies with the relevant standards of animal welfare and antimicrobial
stewardship.
Compassion in World Farming EU has prepared a policy brief detailing the current state of play and
the measures necessary to deliver a comprehensive and sustained decrease in antimicrobial use by all
member states, which we invite you to download in English. It is also available in Spanish, Polish,
Italian and Greek with a scientific commentary from Poland, a Member State with one of the highest
inputs of antimicrobials in farmed animals.
Animal welfare is consistently high on the priority list of EU citizens, as indicated in the recent
Eurobarometer survey, with nine out of ten Europeans (89%) wanting the EU to stop the individual
caging of farmed animals, and a clear majority (94%) believing that farmed animals need enough space
to be able to move around, lie down and stand up.
We urge you to listen to citizens and protect EU farmed animals by delivering the necessary measures
to ensure that the EU food systems do not rely on continued overuse of antibiotics.
Yours sincerely,
Olga Kikou
Head of Compassion in World Farming EU
Saatja: CIWF EU <
[email protected]>
Saadetud: 21.11.2023 15:04
Adressaat: Maaeluministeerium <
[email protected]>; <"Riina Sikkut">
Koopia: <"SM Info">
Teema: CIWF WAAW2023 Antimicrobials in Animals Farmed for Food
Place du Luxembourg 12, 1050 Ixelles, Belgium
Tel. +32 (0) 2 709 1330 Email:
Mob. +30 6972004963
21 November 2023
FACTORY FARMS AND THE RISE OF ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE
Dear Minister Kallas,
Dear Minister Sikkut,
On the occasion of the 2024 European Antibiotic Awareness Day () and the
World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (), we call on you to make sure that
intensive animal agriculture does not further contribute to the rising
number of human deaths from antimicrobial resistance.
The use of cages, high stocking densities and the associated stress
contribute to the emergence and propagation of resistant pathogens. EU
citizens have spoken, with 1.4 million supporting the European Citizens
Initiative End the Cage Age. The EU has that it will work to make the
blocs food systems lead the way in the transition to farming that would
not breed dangerous pathogens, but would instead respect local
communities, the environment and animals.
Even though the European Commission has made a commitment to prohibit
caged farming and the European Parliament has supported such a ban, the
shelving of a comprehensive overhaul of the EU animal welfare regulation
is a significant step backwards in the fight against antimicrobial
resistance, both in the EU and with a negative spill over to its trade
partners in animal protein.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) that threatens to undo a century of
medical progress, according to the Director-General of the World Health
Organization (WHO) is recognised as a threat by all EU member states. An
ever-growing body of research demonstrates evidence that genes causing
antimicrobial resistance can originate in animals and be transferred to .
Other studies point to even greater risks; for instance, in animals is
linked to compromised innate immune response in humans.
An ambitious revision of animal welfare legislation is critical for
cutting the reliance on antimicrobials that characterises factory farms
in most of EU member states. The necessary changes include:
* avoiding overcrowding and providing sufficient space, including
phasing out of cages;
* abandoning fully indoor systems of husbandry;
* reducing stress;
* enabling animals to perform positive natural behaviours;
* providing enrichment;
* ending the early weaning of piglets;
* avoiding excessive group sizes;
* minimising the mixing of animals from different groups;
* ending routine mutilations;
* maintaining good air quality;
* encouraging a move away from genetic selection for high production
levels;
* minimising transport;
* avoiding use of live animal markets.
Sustainable consumption in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal 12
must be promoted through clear and for all products containing animal-
derived ingredients. Accompanied by necessary oversight of compliance
with production requirements, such labelling would help consumers
differentiate between high and low animal welfare standards and make
better-informed purchasing choices.
Importantly, public procurement should strongly favour products with
lower levels of antimicrobials involved in their production to ensure
public funds are not used to prop up farming practices contributing to
antimicrobial resistance.
Finally, the EU must ensure that all animal protein available for sale in
its internal market regardless of provenance complies with the relevant
standards of animal welfare and antimicrobial stewardship.
Compassion in World Farming EU has prepared a policy brief detailing the
current state of play and the measures necessary to deliver a
comprehensive and sustained decrease in antimicrobial use by all member
states, which we invite you to in English. It is also available in , ,
and with a from Poland, a Member State with one of the highest inputs
of antimicrobials in farmed animals.
Animal welfare is consistently high on the priority list of EU citizens,
as indicated in the recent , with nine out of ten Europeans (89%) wanting
the EU to stop the individual caging of farmed animals, and a clear
majority (94%) believing that farmed animals need enough space to be able
to move around, lie down and stand up.
We urge you to listen to citizens and protect EU farmed animals by
delivering the necessary measures to ensure that the EU food systems do
not rely on continued overuse of antibiotics.
Yours sincerely,
Olga Kikou
Head of Compassion in World Farming EU
________________________________
The European Food Safety Authority in 2022 and 2023 has highlighted the
risks of , and listed minimum welfare requirements for specific animals,
including , , , , , .
CIWF EU
Compassion In World Farming
|
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