Target: Olivér Várhelyi, European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, European Union
Goal: Advance binding reforms on cages and routine male-chick killing, publish a credible timetable, and support enforcement against existing welfare violations.
A laying hen’s freedom to move and a newly hatched chick’s life deserve more than an indefinite policy promise. Campaigners seek stronger protection against restrictive cages and routine killing of male chicks. These practices raise welfare concerns, but their legality in particular circumstances must not be confused with criminal wrongdoing.
Animal Equality reports seeking records explaining the European Commission’s handling of promised reforms. Initial responses did not identify internal documents explaining the decision at issue; the organization challenged those searches. Its account also records that additional potentially relevant documents were later identified. The transparency dispute supports demands for answers, not an unsupported conclusion that all records were concealed.
Citizens need a route from promises to protection. Proposals, implementation dates, and oversight should be measurable. Urge the Commission to advance the promised reforms, explain outstanding decisions, and coordinate action against substantiated breaches of existing welfare requirements while new protections are developed.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Commissioner Várhelyi,
Please publish a credible timetable for proposals addressing cage confinement and the routine killing of male chicks. The practical stakes are the conditions in which animals live and whether preventable killing continues. We ask you to make the intended scope, supporting evidence, transition arrangements, and next legislative steps clear to the public.
Please also ensure a complete and transparent response to the outstanding document requests and review process. Records identified after initial searches should be handled under the applicable access procedures. Citizens should be able to understand how priorities were set and what remains necessary for action. Provide policy leadership without prejudging any formal review.
Advance binding welfare proposals and work with member states on effective implementation and enforcement. Where investigations establish violations of existing rules, encourage the competent authorities to impose appropriate sanctions. Future standards should include clear duties and consequences for noncompliance. Please turn public commitments into a timetable that can be scrutinized and protections that animals can actually experience, with transparent progress reporting.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Yann
