Target: Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Brussels, Belgium
Goal: End the use of cages for mother pigs and routine male-chick killing, with a clear timetable and effective enforcement provisions.
A mother pig’s ability to move and a newly hatched chick’s survival should not depend on an endlessly deferred policy promise. Campaigners are demanding binding reforms addressing cages and routine male-chick killing. The demand concerns practices that require legislative change, alongside stronger enforcement of protections already in place.
Animal Equality’s Brussels demonstrations called for proposals before the end of 2026 and a clear place for sow protection in the 2027 legislative agenda. An earlier parliamentary intergroup warning concerned the 2026 Work Programme.
The Commission can turn commitments into concrete proposals, milestones, and provisions for enforcement. Demand a published legislative timetable, binding measures against restrictive cages and routine chick killing, and meaningful consequences for breaches of enacted welfare requirements.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear President von der Leyen,
Please place the promised farm-animal reforms on a clear legislative path, including measures to end cages for mother pigs and routine killing of male chicks. These animals’ welfare deserves commitments that can be assessed against concrete dates and published proposals.
We ask you to explain the intended scope of the legislation, the evidence informing it, and the next steps involving Parliament and the Council. Include workable transition arrangements, monitoring, and enforcement provisions rather than relying on voluntary assurances alone. Where changes require alternative production methods, support implementation without leaving the deadline indefinite. Please distinguish existing legal duties from proposed protections so that both officials and the public understand what can be enforced now.
Lead the Commission in advancing binding proposals and overseeing compliance with applicable EU obligations. Support national authorities in responding to substantiated violations, with effective, proportionate sanctions under the relevant law. Please publish a timetable, maintain transparent progress reporting, and ensure that commitments to farmed animals lead to measurable protection rather than another unresolved promise.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Pixabay
