Orchestrated attack on democracy

"Even though some politicians have defied the party line, over the past few years we have witnessed a coordinated attack to thwart the world’s most ambitious animal welfare reform, orchestrated by the factory farming lobbies and spearheaded by certain political groups in the European Parliament," said Olga Kikou, Head of Compassion in World Farming EU and substitute representative of the ‘End the Cage Age’ European Citizens’ Initiative. "They are now thwarting the world’s most comprehensive farm animal welfare reform to date. However, Europeans will not accept defeat, and neither will we. Our work will continue to represent the 1.4 million citizens who voted to End the Cage Age.”

“The farming lobbies have managed to convince certain political groups to present themselves as speaking for farmers ahead of the 2024 European elections," Olga added. "These groups, however, push for keeping the status quo, which does not help farmers prepare for the future and address the sustainability challenges they face in the 21^st century. Citizens care deeply about animals. Next year’s elections can turn out to be yet another protest vote, fuelling anti-EU voices.”

Disconnect between citizens & MEPs

Our data-driven analysis shows a clear disconnect between what citizens ask for and how MEPs vote. While eight out of ten Europeans believe that the welfare of farmed animals should be better protected, this is not reflected in the votes of the elected representatives of the European citizens. Out of the 10,265 individual votes analysed, only four out of ten votes were for higher welfare of farmed animals during this political term. In some political groups, such as the European People’s Party, the situation is dire - only two out of ten votes from the European People’s Party meet citizen expectations!

Earlier in September, media reports revealed EU is considering dropping its plans for stricter animal welfare measures, following a coordinated right-wing backlash against the block’s environmental regulations. Among the new rules that are being killed by delaying is an unprecedented commitment to ban caged farming, made in response to a referendum-like action by 1.4 million citizens – the ‘End the Cage Age’ European Citizens’ Initiative, which Compassion in World Farming coordinated.