In 2020, the Commission started a process aimed at updating and modernising the EU animal welfare legislation. One important milestone was the publication of the Fitness Check evaluating the existing EU Animal Welfare legislation, covering on farm welfare, animal welfare at the time of killing and animal welfare during transport.
In 2021, the Commission responded positively to the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) "End the Cage Age", announcing its intention to present legislative proposals to prohibit cages for the species and categories of animals covered by the ECI.
In 2022 and 2023, following mandates from the Commission, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) adopted several scientific opinions intended to support this process of modernisation by providing scientific and technical evidence focusing on animal welfare (for details, see below “actions taken during the previous Commission”). When preparing legislative proposals, the Commission takes account of this updated scientific and technical evidence as well as other considerations, in particular the socio-economic and environmental impacts of different possible measures as demonstrated through robust impact assessments.
On 7 December 2023, the Commission adopted a legislative proposal to revise the Regulation on the protection of animals during transport and a legislative proposal for the first EU Regulation on the welfare of dogs and cats and their traceability.
The proposed measures on transport will improve the wellbeing of the 1.6 billion animals transported annually across and from EU borders. These measures will update the current rules that are over 20 years old and that have reached their limits regarding the technical and administrative aspects to grant a proper enforcement.
The new rules on the welfare of dogs and cats and their traceability will establish, for the first time ever, uniform EU standards for the breeding, housing, handling, and reproduction of dogs and cats in breeding establishments, pet shops and shelters transport. It will also reinforce existing provisions on the traceability of dogs and cats supplied in the EU rules to combat illegal trafficking.
The two legislative proposals are being examined by the co-legislators, the European Parliament and the Council.
As established by the Vision for Agriculture and Food adopted on 19 February 2025, building on the recommendations by the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture, the Commission will closely exchange with farmers, the food chain and civil society in the next months, and on that basis, the Commission intends to present further legislative proposals on the revision of the existing EU animal welfare legislation, including its commitment to phase out cages. The Commission will also pursue, in line with international rules, a stronger alignment of animal welfare standards applied to imported animals and food.
This revision will be based on the latest scientific evidence and take into account the socio-economic impact on farmers and the agri-food chain, providing support and appropriate, species-specific transition periods and pathways.
The Vision also mentions that the Commission will consider targeted labelling in relation to animal welfare to address societal expectations.
The Farm to Fork Strategy adopted by the Commission on 20 May 2020 announced that the Commission will revise the animal welfare legislation to align it with the latest scientific evidence.
The preparatory work under the Farm to Fork Strategy concerned a revision the following pieces of legislation: the Directive on the protection of animals kept for farming purposes, four Directives laying down minimum standards for the protection of laying hens, broilers,pigs and calves; and the Regulations on the protection of animals during transport and at the time of killing. In addition, the preparatory work dealt with a possible new legislation on animal welfare labelling.
In 2021, based on the preliminary findings of the evaluation of the current legislation ("Fitness check"), the Commission published an Inception Impact Assessment Roadmap presenting the policy options envisaged for an Impact Assessment.
A public consultation was held from 15 October 2021 to 21 January 2022 to gather views and experience of citizens and stakeholders on the fitness of the current rules and on how they could be improved. See the factual summary report of the 59281 contributions received.
In September 2022, the Fitness Check was concluded. Its results, presented in a Commission Staff Working Document, confirms the need to revise and modernise the EU animal welfare legislation, and provides a good basis for this revision.
Based on mandates from the Commission, EFSA has published Scientific Opinions on the welfare at farm of broilers; of calves; of pigs; of laying hens; of dairy cows; of ducks, geese and quails (when it comes to their housing conditions); as well as the welfare during transport of pigs, bovines, equids, small ruminants and animals transported in containers.
In 2021, the Commission sent a roadmap to EFSA summarising indicatively the animal welfare mandates it plans to send to EFSA for scientific opinions to be delivered between 2022 and 2028.
In addition, EFSA adopted a scientific Report on the welfare of cats and dogs in commercial breeding establishments and is now working on European Commission mandates concerning the welfare at farm of beef cattle, of turkeys, of equines, and of fur animals.
The European Commission has asked two of the voluntary initiatives of the EU Platform on Animal Welfare to provide them support on possible elements to improve the welfare of equids and pets in the updated EU animal welfare legislation. The produced recommendations are available here.
In 2022, the Commission established 6 subgroups under the EU Animal Welfare Platform, on the welfare at farm of pigs, of poultry, of dairy cows and calves, the welfare during transport, the welfare at the time of killing, and on animal welfare labelling, to provide input and views in the context of the Commission’s preparatory work. These subgroups held a series of meetings in 2022 and 2023. The minutes are available here..
In 2022, the Commission published a fact-finding study on animal welfare labelling.