Slow Food Discusses Animal Welfare with the European Commission in Brussels

Piero Sardo, President of the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity, is travelling to Brussels to talk at the conference on the “Main achievements of the EU strategy for the welfare of animals 2012-2015” to be held at the Charlemagne Building of the European Commission on February 12 from 9:30 am to 1 pm.

The European Commission is organizing the conference on occasion of their mid-term assessment of the EU strategy on animal welfare. The Commission is due to start the preparations for the draft of the EU general animal welfare framework law this year. Therefore it is of utmost importance for Slow Food to engage in dialogue with the EC to make sure it takes into due account the views and needs of small-scale farmers regarding this issue.

The conference is divided into four different sections (I Farming; II Transport and Enforcement, III Quality of Food; IV Education and Training) and among the conference speakers are the European Commissioner for Health, the Director General of the Directorate Health and Consumers, veterinarians, animal welfare activists and researchers.

Animal welfare has become a major concern for Slow Food in recent years, which is why we are working closely with producers of the Slow Food Presidia project to have a direct impact on the conditions in which their animals are raised. Slow Food considers intensive livestock production as unacceptable, because it compromises the welfare of animals and significantly jeopardizes environmental sustainability, human health and the livelihood of small-scale farmers and rural communities. The organization devotes special attention to the welfare issues revolving around animal transport, antibiotics, labeling, mutilations and force-feeding.

Slow Food’s position on animal welfare is outlined here.

Click here to find out more about the conference.