Almost 1.4 million signatures of the European Citizens' Initiative (Ice) End the Cage Age authenticated by EU Member States and delivered today to the European Commission to demand an end to the use of cages on farms.
This was announced by some of the 21 Italian associations that are among the 170 that adhere to the European Coalition End the Cage Age (Animal Equality, Ciwf Italia Onlus, Enpa, Lac, Lav, Legambiente, Leidaa) noting that "it is a historic day and among the most significant for the lives of hundreds of millions of animals still raised in cages in the EU and for all the animals that are forced to live in intensive farms in the world ".
The cages, the associations continue, "are the symbol par excellence of the cruelty of intensive farms, which confine large numbers of animals in confined and closed spaces, not respecting their ethological and physiological needs and making the massive use of antibiotics ".
The Italian Coalition declared: "The overwhelming success of this initiative is a clear message also for the Italian government. We ask the Minister of Agriculture Teresa Bellanova and the Minister of Health Roberto Speranza to support the requests of over 90,000 citizens also in Europe. Italians who signed the Ice. "It is necessary to stop investing in anachronistic and cruel systems like those in cages - the associations say - We therefore ask that not even a cent of the Recovery Fund be spent on restructuring, encouraging or building new systems in cages, for any species ".
Annamaria Pisapia, director of Ciwf Italia Onlus and in turn a member of the citizens' committee promoting the Ice, concluded:" Today we have written history for animals on farms.
Nothing will ever be the same again.
The message that emerged from the resounding success of our Ice could not be stronger and clearer: European citizens have taken a stand in favor of animals and said 'no more cages, no more cruelty' ". (ANSA).
