Activities of Tom VANDENKENDELAERE related to 2020/2085(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Implementation report on on-farm animal welfare (debate)
Amendments (19)
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas economic volatility is forcing stockbreeders to factor in lengthy periods of amortisation and investment, for example in livestock accommodation designed to enhance animal welfare;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital R
Recital R
R. whereas our agricultural, environmental and commercial strategiesinternational trade strategies and measures to ensure a level playing field within the single market should be coherent;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital S
Recital S
S. whereas the common agricultural policy (CAP) is one of the regulatorystimulus tools that can be used to improve the welfare of farm animals;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital U
Recital U
U. whereas labelling can only be effective if it is easy for consumers to understand, designed for an integrated single market and underpinned by a coherent EU trade policy; whereas such labelling must also help create market openings for producers;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital U a (new)
Recital U a (new)
Ua. whereas only voluntary labelling will earn rewards on the market in the absence of differentiation by the latter based on production characteristics, which means that mandatory labelling will be perceived as having force of law;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital V
Recital V
V. whereas information tools for consumers should be designed in such a way as to maintain a level playing field, which is currently hampered by the welter of private initiativesrequires a degree of harmonisation;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Acknowledges that stockbreeders are engaged in an ongoing investment cycle owing to recent animal welfare initiatives and long amortisation periods;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recommends giving all livestock farmers the means, via an EU-level framework, to take part in a process of progress, based on objective and scientifically substantiated indicators referring to the five fundamental freedoms defined by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE); acknowledges that this is dependent on measures to ensure the necessary additional resources coupled with fair market prices;
Amendment 240 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses that any change must be considered in the light of the time needed for livestock farmers to implement it and the inertia it may entail; stresses the need to take particular account of investment costs, given the low profit margins and long payback periods;
Amendment 274 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. CUrgently calls for financial support to be provided to livestock farmers who must effect a transition on their farms, whether by means of public policies (a coherent combination of different tools, including the CAP) or the market, and for consumers to be provided with clear and transparent information by ensuring clear and, reliable and voluntary labelling of animal products on welfare- related aspects of their production; calls, further, for a positive and non-stigmatising communications strategy to be implemented;
Amendment 297 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Stresses that some measures believed to improve animal welfare are in fact counterproductive and may undermine other aspects of sustainability, namely welfare and health safety-related issues, animal health and the fight against antimicrobial resistance, as well as efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; cites, by way of example, that keeping rabbits or chickens in the open air increases stress and mortality levels, and that installing collective cages in rabbitries leads to aggressive behaviour among does, causing stress, injury and reduced performance;
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Points out that the current legislative framework stipulates certain measures, including the provision of suitable livestock accommodation in line with animal health and welfare requirements, designed to ensure that they are treated in accordance with their specific needs at the various stages of their life cycle, while warning that care must be taken not to endanger animal health as a result of the above; calls on the Commission to assess thoroughly the potentially harmful effect of each proposal on animal health and welfare;
Amendment 316 #
17. Invites the Commission to ensure the availability in the various Member States of a harmonised EU list of the available products and protocols for the use of pain-killers and anaesthesia for piglet castration; asks the Commission to permit the short-term storage of veterinary medicines on farms and to allow veterinarians to leave them there in accordance with strict regulatory framework provisions;
Amendment 338 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Urges the Commission to inform consumers and raise their awareness of the reality of livestock farming and the diversity and origin of production methods by showing, without dogmatism or stigmatisation, the care and attention that farmers pay to their animals;
Amendment 369 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Urges the Commission to link its various strategies by implementing rules drawn up in a manner consistent with the European Green Deal, the ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy and policies relating to agriculturale, trade and promotion policies, unfair commercial practices and promotion; stresses that coherence between these strategies is a precondition for a viable agricultural sector;
Amendment 375 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Calls on the Commission to bring geopolitical and trade policy into line with European Union standards in order to create a level playing field and avoid undermining the economic profitability of its own producers;
Amendment 388 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Deplores the lack of a return on investment for farmers who take part in voluntary animal welfare recognition schemes; notes, further, that animal welfare labelling will only prove successful if a return on investment is forthcoming from the higher price point and if costs and benefits are fairly distributed throughout the entire agri-food chain;
Amendment 398 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Calls on the Commission also to guarantee animal welfare in the rest of the chain downstream of the producer and to incorporate it in the harmonised voluntary labelling provisions;
Amendment 406 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Invites the Commission to conduct an in-depth examination of the possible implications of introducing mandatory labelling requirements at EU level, drawing in particular on experience gained in recent public labelling schemes in some Member States; calls on the Commission to attach high importance to market opportunities and associated returns for producers and a fair distribution of costs and benefits throughout the chain;