EU Commission registers initiatives on animal welfare and food labeling

The European Commission has registered two new European Citizens’ Initiatives related to animal farms and labeling of food.

The European Citizens’ Initiatives are “Stop Cruelty Stop Slaughter” and “Stop Fake Food: Origin on Label.”

A European Citizens’ Initiative allows citizens to invite the EU Commission to propose related legal acts.

Italian organizers of the “Stop Cruelty Stop Slaughter” initiative want the EU Commission to introduce incentives for producing plant proteins, including plant-based milk and egg substitutes, as well as cultivated meat. They call for a reduction in the number of farm animals and to progressively close all animal farms.

Those behind the “Stop Fake Food: Origin on Label” initiative call for the EU Commission to propose measures that ensure European consumers have access to transparent information about the food they buy and that their expectations regarding food quality and sustainability are met. 

The EU Commission has not yet analyzed the proposals. A decision to register them does not influence the action it would take, if any, in case the initiatives obtain the support of at least one million EU citizens.

For an initiative to be examined by the EU Commission, it must collect at least one million signatures and obtain a certain threshold of backing in at least seven EU countries. More than half of the 116 registered topics have not met this target.

Organizers now have six months to open signature collection. If an initiative receives at least one million statements of support within one year, the EU Commission will have to react.

Details of the two initiatives
Those responsible for the “Stop Cruelty Stop Slaughter” initiative said factory farming and slaughterhouses pose a constant threat to public health and hygiene problems such as Salmonella.

They want plans to gradually reduce the number of farm animals at a rate of 50 percent of the number of animals each year, and to progressively close all animal farms. They want the action to begin with factory farms, followed by free-range farms, and slaughterhouses.

The organizers said closing such sites and using EU funding to incentivize the conversion of existing animal husbandry activities into those involving plant proteins or cultivated proteins would be a valuable tool to prevent new diseases. They also mention benefits for animal welfare, the environment, and antibiotic resistance.

Organizers of the “Stop Fake Food: Origin on Label” initiative want the origin of all products entering the EU to be clearly indicated and for these items to meet the environmental, health and labor standards applicable in Europe.

Having tighter origin requirements would help to prevent fraud, protect public health, and guarantee consumers’ right to information. Reference to the country of origin or place of provenance would avoid general references such as non-EU.

They ask for an increase in border checks on food at European and national borders to stop scams that harm farmers and consumers and to prohibit imports of food processed using substances and methods banned in Europe.

“Unclear and perhaps intentionally ambiguous indications of origin provide opportunities for misleading geographical identity, false product identity and misrepresentation of products, and facilitate counterfeiting,” according to the initiative.

(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)