WIN! European lawmakers vote to restrict subsidies for factory farming

Good news for animals and the planet coming out of the EU. The European Parliament’s environment committee voted to increase environmental and animal welfare protections under the EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP). But the improvements are not yet sufficient to tackle the problem of factory farming and change the food system.

Members of the European Parliament (or MEPs) on that committee voted to restrict funding for livestock farms that exceed a certain ‘stocking density’, to set targets to reduce overall stocking density and for new rules saying that farm animals must be able to lie down, stand up, extend their limbs and turn around. The committee also voted to block national subsidies for large livestock facilities not respecting basic animal welfare principles.

The environment committee also voted to increase CAP funding reserved for climate and environmental measures, devoting 40% of the rural development budget, instead of 30% as the European Commission had proposed, and 30% of the direct payment budget.

Greenpeace EU agriculture policy director Marco Contiero said: “Factory farms wreck the countryside, heat the climate and put small farmers out of business, but MEPs put forward some solid plans that could start to change that. Study after study shows the immense damage factory farming does, so Europe’s agricultural system must evolve. The agriculture committee must now listen to what science tells us is good for the planet, and help small farmers – make the CAP work for ecological farming, and end factory farming.”

The next CAP, which will cover the years 2021-2027, is being negotiated between national governments and the European Parliament. The European Parliament’s agriculture committee will vote on the European Commission’s proposed CAP reform on 6 or 7 March, and a vote in the Parliament’s plenary session is planned in April.

Our campaign has lots planned this year to help MEPs do the right and necessary things to change our runaway livestock system.