Animal Welfare in Europe

Infractions and Sanctions in Relation to Animal Welfare: a Topic for European Criminology?

Mertxe Landera Luri, from the University of the Basque Country, made a contribution to the 2012 Annual Conference of the European Society of Criminology, in the category “Traditional and New Forms of Crime and Deviance,” under the title “Infractions and Sanctions in Relation to Animal Welfare: a Topic for European Criminology?”. Here is the abstract: EU has approved a series of norms establishing minimum requirements for the breeding and care of farm animals. These norms are part of the provisions known as Animal Welfare Regulations. The key text in this body of norms is the European Convention for the protection of animals kept for farming purposes which was adopted in 1976. This Convention is applicable to animals in modern intensive stock-farming systems. The animals dealt with in the Convention are animals bred or kept for the production of food, wool, skin or fur or for other farming purposes. This Convention and other Animal Welfare Directives need transposition into the law of each Member State. Once transposed, the enforcement of Animal Welfare legislation is left up to the Member States. The Member State jurisdiction is competent to resolve and apply the sanctions in relation of these normative. The task to evaluate the enforcement of Animal Welfare legislation falls with the European Food and Veterinary Office ( FVO) which executes regular audits on food production and processing programs including for Animal Welfare. When the FVO reports shortcomings in the implementation and enforcement of EU legislation, the European Commission starts an enforcement procedure under which EU member states can be sanctioned by the European Court of Justice for failing to meet its obligations. These periodical Reports and Audits from the inspections of the FVO (Food and Veterinary Office) check on compliance with the requirements of EU animal welfare provide a basis for a criminological analysis. This paper examines the results of the last Inspection FVO Report about the fulfillment of Animal Welfare requirements in the field of welfare at slaughter in Spain.

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Further Reading

• “Infractions and Sanctions in Relation to Animal Welfare: a Topic for European Criminology?”, by Mertxe Landera Luri (Proceedings)