COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE EVALUATION of the European Union Strategy for the Protection and Welfare of Animals 2012-2015
Date: 2021-03-31
Institutions: Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, EU strategy, animal welfare, application of EU law, international cooperation, live animal, protection of animals, slaughter of animals, transport of animals, veterinary legislation

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   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 31.3.2021  SWD(2021) 77 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE EVALUATION  of the European Union Strategy for the Protection and Welfare of Animals 2012-2015          {SWD(2021) 76 final}  
 
 
1. 

Context 

Animal welfare is an issue of growing importance for EU citizens1. The first EU legislation 
on  the  welfare  of  animals2  was  adopted  in  1974.  Since  then,  the  legislation  in  this  area  has 
developed and expanded its coverage in response to political, market and citizens’ demands as 
well as scientific developments. In recent years, and in particular with the ongoing Covid-19 
pandemic,  the  “One  Health”  approach  has  gained  more  prominence,  putting  focus  on  the 
important  interlinks  between  animal  welfare,  animal  health  and  public  health.  The 
Commission  adopted  in  2012  an  EU  strategy  for  protection  and  welfare  of  animals  (2012-
2015)  (“the  strategy”)  which  defined  key  strategic  objectives  and  actions  with  the  ultimate 
aim  to  enhance  the  welfare  of  animals  in  the  EU,  while  ensuring  fair  competition  and 
empowering EU consumers in making animal welfare friendly choices.  

2. 

Evaluation 

This  evaluation  covers  the  period  2012-2018  (going  slightly  beyond  the  2012-2015  animal 
welfare  strategy  timespan  as  some  actions  were  delivered  up  to  2018)  and  encompasses  all 
stages of the strategy. It assesses the strategy’s effectiveness, efficiency, EU added value, as 
well as its relevance and coherence until today, taking into account developments in the area 
of animal welfare.  

An external  study provided the main evidence base for the evaluation.  Due to  limitations in 
gathering  quantitative  data,  the  study  relied  on  extensive  desk  research  and  several 
consultation  activities,  which  allowed  incorporating  the  opinions  of  a  broad  range  of 
stakeholders. A number of case studies supported the analysis.  

The findings of the evaluation will feed into the ongoing evaluation of the EU animal welfare 
legislation3 and inform possible future initiatives in the animal welfare area, as announced by 
the Farm to Fork strategy. 

3. 

Key findings 

The evaluation found that the majority of problems and drivers identified by the  strategy as 
relevant in 2012 remain to be relevant today.  A remaining challenge is the need to improve 
compliance  across  Member  States  in  some  risk  areas  (i.e.  animal  transport,  routine  tail 
docking of pigs, some stunning methods and other). In this respect, the new Official Controls 
Regulation  offers  the  tools  to  address  some  issues,  regarding  control  requirements  and 
verification of compliance with animal welfare legislation.  

Considering the increasing interest among EU citizens towards animal welfare, the objective 
to  provide  consumers  and  the  public  with  appropriate  information  has  become  even  more 
relevant today than it was in 2012. The same applies to the need to strengthen international 

Special Eurobarometer 442, Attitudes of Europeans towards Animal Welfare of March 2016: 

1  
https://ec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/publicopinion/index.cfm/ResultDoc/download/DocumentKy/71348  
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3  

Council Directive 74/577/EEC of 18 November 1974 on stunning of animals before slaughter 
https://ec.europa.eu/food/sites/food/files/animals/docs/aw_fitness-check_roadmap.pdf  

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cooperation  overcoming  the  reluctance  of  some  third  countries  to  adopt  animal  welfare 
standards comparable to the ones applicable in the EU.  

There is a need to further optimise synergies with the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for 
the period 2021-27 and to make better use of the instruments offered by it to improve animal 
welfare  standards  in  animal  husbandry  and  to  increase  CAP  beneficiaries’  awareness  of 
animal welfare requirements4 . The CAP supports voluntary animal welfare commitments, as 
well  as  other  relevant  interventions  –  such  as  investments,  under  its  second  pillar  (and  will 
continue do so during the period 2021-20275). These tools are aimed to achieve higher animal 
welfare outcomes than the legally prescribed standards. As to the regulatory  framework, the 
gaps  that  existed  in  2012  remain,  notably  for  the  protection  of  certain  farmed  species  for 
which  no  rule  exists  at  EU  level.  In  addition,  the  need  to  simplify  existing  rules  and  to 
improve  their  enforceability  continues  to  be  relevant.  In  both  cases,  the  strategy  did  not 
contribute to address these issues significantly.  

While the strategy was overall coherent with food safety and research policies, there is room 
for improving coherence not only with the CAP, but also with fisheries, trade, environmental 
and transport policies, in line with the goals of the Farm to Fork strategy. 

At an international level, the strategy contributed to promoting animal welfare standards with 
one voice in international fora and establishing synergies with activities on animal welfare of 
the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization 
of the United Nations (FAO) and to build cooperation with trading partners. The future work 
needs to build further on these synergies with a view to consolidate the EU’s leading role in 
the global transition to sustainable and thus animal welfare friendly food systems. 

The  strategy  contributed  to  setting  common  priorities  that  led  to  improvements  on  animal 
welfare across the EU. It also contributed to improve knowledge and sharing of best practices, 
as well as to enforcement of EU legislation in specific areas (i.e. group housing of sows and 
protection  of  laying  hens).  However,  none  of  the  strategy’s  objectives  has  been  fully 
achieved. Notably, the strategy failed to deliver on the objective of introducing a simplified 
EU legislative framework on animal welfare. As regards information to consumers on animal 
welfare and optimisation of synergies with the CAP, the strategy had a limited contribution. 
Informing consumers on animal welfare has become an objective even more important today 
than at the time of adoption of the strategy. 

It  was  not  possible  to  assess  whether  the  strategy  has  been  overall  cost-efficient,  nor  to 
quantify the opportunity costs, which may have been incurred because of the lack of actions 
taken to develop a simplified animal welfare legislation. Available evidence seems to suggest 
that  the  benefits  of  the  strategy  may  have  been  higher  than  the  costs  in  areas  such  as 

4 Cross-compliance links direct payments under the CAP support to farmers respecting a set of basic standards 
(Statutory  Management  Requirements),  including  animal  welfare  standards.  The  respect  of  this  set  of 
standards  is  not  checked  systematically  prior  to  the  payment  but  a  posteriori  cross-compliance  on-the-spot 
checks are obligatory for a minimum of 1% of the beneficiaries. It is effective as a tool to increase beneficiaries’ 
awareness of the mandatory animal welfare requirement.  
5 Post-2020, the newly designed eco-schemes can also address animal welfare objectives. 

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enforcement. In general, among stakeholders there is a wide perception that those costs were 
unevenly distributed. 

The  forthcoming  review  of  the  animal  welfare  legislation  will  look  at  the  legislative  gaps 
identified in 2012 and at any new gaps that could emerge from the ongoing evaluation of the 
rules in force. This will support further reflections on the options available to make the animal 
welfare  acquis  fit  for  purpose.  As  regards  enforcement,  special  attention  will  be  given  to 
compliance risk areas identified by this evaluation.  

In  addition  to  the  above,  in  the  Farm  to  Fork  strategy,  the  Commission  has  committed  to 
explore  options  for  animal  welfare  labelling  to  address  the  increasing  demand  of  today’s 
consumers.  Further  actions  in  this  area  will  elaborate  on  the  findings  of  this  evaluation  in 
terms of consumers’ awareness and demand for information.  

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