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Health & Consumers Directorate General

Health & Consumers Directorate General. Collecting feathers from live geese: current legal situation in the EU and potential future actions. EU Legislation (1). EU legislation on the protection of animals kept for farming purposes: Council Directive 98/58/EC

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Health & Consumers Directorate General

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  1. Health & ConsumersDirectorate General Collecting feathers from live geese: current legal situation in the EU and potential future actions Laurence Bonafos Animal Welfare Unit D5

  2. EU Legislation (1) • EU legislation on the protection of animals kept for farming purposes: Council Directive 98/58/EC • Recommendation of the Council of Europe on geese adopted in 1999: Plucking feathers including down from live geese is prohibited. • Community Action Plan on the Protection and Welfare of Animals 2006-2010 • Upgrade existing minimum standards • Introducing standardised animal welfare indicators Laurence Bonafos Animal Welfare Unit D5

  3. EU legislation (2) • Standing Committee of the European Convention distinguishes between plucking feathers from live birds, which is forbidden, and harvesting/collecting feathers which is allowed. • Over the years, several media scandals regarding the practice of plucking feathers: poor enforcement of the ban Laurence Bonafos Animal Welfare Unit D5

  4. State of play in the EU • Questionnaire sent to Member States regarding this practice: traditional practice still carried out in HU and PL used to be carried out in CZ, FR, DE • Specific legislation in force in HU Laurence Bonafos Animal Welfare Unit D5

  5. State of play in the EU • Data on number of farms involved in PL and HU • Statements from the European Down and Feather Association • No data on market for feathers collected from live birds • Reliable data on enforcement? Laurence Bonafos Animal Welfare Unit D5

  6. EFSA Scientific Opinion • Provides scientific elements of answers to the following questions: • Is it possible to make a difference between plucking and collecting feathers? • Can collecting feathers be carried out in such a way that it is not painful for the birds? • Impact of this practice on the overall welfare of the birds • Animal-based indicators to be used to assess the welfare of geese submitted to this practice. Laurence Bonafos Animal Welfare Unit D5

  7. EFSA Scientific Opinion • Useful to understand the scientific background of this practice • Provides useful tools to improve enforcement such as animal based welfare indicators in geese flocks • Problem: how this can be enforced by Member States in commercial situation Laurence Bonafos Animal Welfare Unit D5

  8. Potential future actions • Legistative option ? • Ban on all type of removal of feathers from live birds • Proportionality and subsidiarity • Impact assessment • Consequences for the farmers, feathers market, goose meat industry and down industry • Efficiency Laurence Bonafos Animal Welfare Unit D5

  9. Potential future actions • Non legislative options ? • Increased administrative cooperation with Member States concerned (guidelines, results of inspections, data on farms and on quantity of feathers collected, welfare assessment protocol in farms,report to the Commission) • Voluntary agreement among all stakeholders to stop buying feathers collecting from live geese Laurence Bonafos Animal Welfare Unit D5

  10. Potential future actions • Combination of non legislative and legislative options ? Laurence Bonafos Animal Welfare Unit D5

  11. Conclusion • EFSA Scientific opinion good basis to consider all options. • Involvement of the Member States concerned and all stakeholders necessary. • Assessment of all potential options needed within the frame of the future EU strategy on animal welfare Laurence Bonafos Animal Welfare Unit D5

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