Measures long requested by defenders of the animal cause. The crushing of chicks and the live castration of piglets, two very controversial practices used in breeding, will be prohibited at the end of 2021, announced Tuesday the Minister of Agriculture, Didier Guillaume, who must detail in the morning a plan for the animal welfare.
He thus officially confirms the measures he had mentioned in November during an interview on the radio. The Minister also announced that he had decided, with Germany and Spain in particular, to set up "from next year" labeling "on animal welfare", on the set of BFMTV- RMC.
The government plans to launch an experiment to guarantee consumers clear information on the farming methods of the meat products they buy, according to a press release sent to AFP. For the shredding of chicks, "the objective is to force companies and research to do this at the end of 2021, […] to find the technique that works on a large scale," said Guillaume.
"Define painful practices and identify alternatives"
Complementing and reinforcing measures already in force, the plan plans to improve the quality of life of farm animals by putting an end to painful practices including the grinding of male chicks and the live castration of piglets, but also to protect during transport, according to the press release.
To go further, the National Reference Center for Animal Welfare is also asked to "define painful practices and identify alternatives," says the text.
The government also wants state funding to be immediately "earmarked for buildings that favor the natural expression of the behavior of farm animals". And he undertakes to militate in the ongoing negotiations on the future European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to condition funding for breeders who invest in livestock buildings that meet animal welfare standards.