They have been waiting for strong announcements for months. Finally, all animal welfare associations are disappointed with the plan presented on Tuesday by Didier Guillaume, the Minister of Agriculture. "We have been told about a revolution since September to give birth to a roadmap with vague outlines and very little ambition, it is completely insufficient! “Storm Jean-François Legueulle, the director of 30 million friends.
For the good news: by the end of 2021 two particularly painful practices will be prohibited. The sexing of the chicks on the one hand, that is to say the fact of grinding alive the male chicks which will not become laying hens. The live castration of piglets, on the other hand, should be prohibited before the end of next year, the practice is widely generalized (80%) to prevent the development of odors when cooking meat.
The Welfarm association, campaigning against castration for four years, claims that the vagueness around their implementation is quickly removed. "If it is effective, enshrined in law or regulation, it is a victory but we fear that it is yet another progress plan. In this case, what smoke! "Explains Pauline di Nicolantonio, in charge of the Stop castration campaign for the NGO before adding:" Farmers should not rush to castration under anesthesia which is extremely difficult to control. The only viable alternative is the outright cessation of castration, in other words the breeding of whole males or immunocastration ( Editor's note: a specific vaccine which temporarily blocks the puberty of pigs ). "
The issue of cages remains
More broadly, "can do better" indicate in unison all associations. For Brigitte Gothière, co-founder of L214: “Even if the Minister could seem to have taken the measure of expectations, nothing very new appears in these announcements, his response is disappointing. It does not tackle fundamental problems, in particular the intensive agricultural model and the conditions of slaughter. "
For animal advocates, the big absent is the question of cages for all species, "particularly cages for laying hens which was a commitment of President Macron", insists Claire Hincelin of the CIWF. Even as an ICE, a popular European citizens' initiative has gathered more than a million and a half signatures to demand the end of breeding behind bars. Many countries have already said stop to cages: Germany has committed to it for 2025 for chickens, Sweden has prohibited calving boxes for sows, Austria rabbit cages since 2012…
The associations suspect government "announcement effects" and electoralist rearrangements. "I can't help but notice that animal welfare brings voices and that the Minister of Agriculture is running for municipal elections in Biarritz", tackles the director of 30 million friends.
