The European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) End the Cage Age against cage farming has been officially notified to the European Commission.
End the Cage Age, 1.4 million signatures from European citizens
On 2.10.20 the Community Executive received 1,397,113 notarized signatures (out of a total of 1.6 million). A volume of requests well above the required minimum of 1 million signatures for the initiative to be considered valid.
The campaign began on 11.9.18 and ended, in 12 months, with success exceeding the highest expectations. This was followed by formal verification of the signatures collected from the member states.
What happens now
A crucial new phase of the campaign now begins. Organizers explain:
1) within a month of submission, we will formally meet with EU Commission representatives to explain why we are calling for an end to cages on animal farms,
2) within three months of submission, we will present the ECI at a public hearing in the European Parliament,
3) Within six months of submission, the EU Commission will specify the proposed actions in response to ECI’s End the Cage Age request.
There is still more to be done
Throughout the stages described above, it will still be necessary to support #EndtheCageAge in order to press EU and national institutions to fulfill the demand of European citizens.
‘Farmed animals have never had so many people defending them. From the caged hens who long to stretch their wings to the sows who want to mother their limitless piglets and the rabbits who deserve space to hop-each of them now has a better chance at life, thanks to you’.
Retail moves
The movement activated by End the Cage Age has already begun to produce concrete changes in the market. Particularly in the large-scale retail trade (GDO) circuit.
In Italy-aside from Coop Italia, which already since 2010 has excluded from its shelves all eggs (including third-party brands) from hens raised in cages-Auchan, Carrefour, Esselunga and Conad have taken action.
Animal welfare and antibiotic resistance
The European Commission, as it turns out, has further delayed the due adoption of an EU policy on animal welfare. Although some aspects of it, such as the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry, also have a significant impact on public health.
Tools to strengthen the microbiome and improve the health of farmed animals and fish exist (see. e.g., AlgaTan mixes of algae, microalgae, and tannins) and are successfully used in the Antibiotics-Free (‘Antibiotic-Free’) product chains that consumers are clamoring for. But European and national authorities seem more interested in protecting the interests of Big Pharma than in encouraging the use of natural health ingredients.
Marta Strinati and Dario Dongo
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
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