Across Europe, pigs are suffering terrible cruelty because of breaches of EU law designed to protect their welfare.
This year, Compassion in World Farming's undercover investigation team visited 45 pig farms in six EU Member States. What we found was shocking and illegal:
-- Animals living in appallingly cramped, barren pens, without any bedding or straw to root in
-- Routine mutilations — on all but one farm the tail of every single pig had been docked
-- Filthy conditions, with pigs forced to lie in their own excrement.
We urgently need you to tell EU ministers that it is unacceptable for Member States to break animal welfare laws. In a series of events across Europe, over 300,000 citizens have already added their voice to our campaign by signing our petition. Please join them today, ready for our petition hand-in to the European Agriculture Council.
Help improve life for pigs by signing and sharing this petition. It is high time our politicians were held to account for their failure to protect the welfare of farm animals. Thank you!
Dear EU Agriculture Ministers,
In a large majority of farms in Europe, pigs are often kept in barren conditions, on slatted floors without straw or bedding, suffering routine mutilations, in breach of the European law designed to protect pig welfare.
Despite countries having had almost 11 years to implement this legislation, its requirements are not properly enforced and rules are being regularly flouted across the EU: this is causing suffering to millions of pigs every year in the European Union.
We undersigned citizens are particularly concerned that in many EU countries:
-- the EU bans on routine tail-docking and teeth-clipping and grinding are often ignored
-- the EU requirement for pigs to be given straw or some other enrichment material so they can engage in their innate investigation behaviours is often being ignored
-- many sows are still being kept in narrow stalls for months at a time despite the EU-wide partial ban* on sow stalls.
We really want this to end, and for farmers to comply with the law.
We therefore urge you to take immediate action to ensure your country is fully compliant with the Pigs Directive (2008/120/EC) and to encourage your colleagues in other EU Member States to do the same.
[Your comments will be inserted here.]
Sincerely,
[Your name here]
*The EU Sow Stall Ban restricts the use of sow stalls to the first four weeks of pregnancy.
