The oft-said assertion that animals need to have a “voice” in modern society may have become a cliche’, but the bitter truth is that there are still realities to be addressed in the world of animal welfare and animal rights. The international seminar held recently in Malta, with the participation of people with a direct interest and responsibility on the issue, both Malta and the European Union, was meant to regenerate the debate and help focus on those very realities, including animal health, habitat and welfare. The weather on that day was in sync with the theme of the seminar.  It rained cats and dogs all day!  This did not keep a great number of real animal lovers from attending and actively participate in the debate.

Man is the only animal that laughs, but when you look at some people and their antics, it is hard to understand how the animals keep from laughing at us!  Joking apart, animals are such agreeable friends; they ask no questions, they make no criticisms, they are loyal, they love unconditionally, they only kill in defence or for survival, they are not capriciously cruel, they are not spiteful, they do not hate. If only we could say the same for humans, what a better world it would be! Which begs the question: Are humans  the superior creatures? In truth animals represent an innocent existence that deserves to be better recognised, better rewarded and better protected.

As Vice-President of the Animal Welfare Intergroup of the European Parliament, I have long felt it a duty from the beginning of my mandate, to organise an event at which we could discuss the standards of animal welfare and the well-being of animals at national and European levels. That it has at last been successfully convened on the eve of Malta’s assumption of the EU presidency is an unabashed and unique source of satisfaction.

The Lisbon Treaty which came into force in 2009 amended the 'Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union' (TFEU) and introduced the recognition that animals are ´´sentient´´ beings. Article 13 of Title II states that:

"In formulating and implementing the Union's agriculture, fisheries, transport, internal market, research and technological development and space policies, the Union and the Member States shall, since animals are sentient beings, pay full regard to the welfare requirements of animals, while respecting the legislative or administrative provisions and customs of the Member States relating in particular to religious rites, cultural traditions and regional heritage."

Whether they are wild, farm or domestic, they should be treated with dignity and respect. Animals have no voice and no vote to protest against the atrocious behaviour of humans in their regard. Therefore, we have to show how civil and caring we are by giving them a voice. Indeed more than a voice.

It is why the seminar was aimed at bringing together Maltese and international organisations and individuals who have the well-being of animals at heart and whose work is connected in one way or another with animal welfare. Only in this way could we elaborate on the obstacles to the rights of animals and on how their welfare can be improved in Malta and in the European Union.

Luckily, love of animals and care for their welfare both transcend political views and national borders. This will hopefully make it easier to achieve a common purpose that is to be the voice of our innocent, vulnerable and defenceless friends.

In my opening speech to the seminar, I tried to be as down-to-earth as possible – not always an easy thing to do given that there would always be people who might argue, with some conviction, that there are more important issues to tackle in the European Parliament. Such comments, however, are exactly the reason why we felt the need to assemble this forum. There is no doubt not enough awareness about the suffering and the terrible conditions some animals go through, and in our societies there are still people who erroneously believe that dignity, respect and rights are only there for human beings.

Hence the need for our voices to be louder and our actions stronger. I will continue to insist that in a civilised world, we cannot treat creatures as if they were objects merely to satisfy our needs and greed. We certainly have no right to abuse nature in whichever form it comes.

We cannot persist in this inhibited state of mind. All member states, from the tiniest to the biggest, and the European Commission need to take a stronger stance in the promotion and protection of animal welfare across the continent. We are encouraged by the fact there are millions of European citizens who share our view. In truth, the EU has made significant progress in the field of animal welfare, but there are still a number of related issues that the Commission needs to address. Certainly welcome would be a holistic roadmap for action that would ensure a consistent approach across the policies dealing with animals and animal products.

It is with all this in mind that the Eurogroup for Animals, the leading pan-European animal advocacy organisation, has presented the Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU with its key concerns, developments from which would have significant impact on the lives of billions of animals. These include such important animal welfare policies as Animal Welfare Strategy 2017-2021, EU Horizontal Animal Welfare Platform, Antimicrobial Resistance, Piglet Mutilations, Transport of Live Farm Animals, Evaluation of the Zoos Directive, Equines, Enforcement of Directive on the Protection of Animals Used for Scientific Purposes 2010/63/EU, and Trade Negotiations.

We had able, willing and vociferous voices at the seminar and lively exchange from the audience. It was particularly satisfying to hear Vytenis Andriukaitis, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, and Roderick Galdes, Permanent Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights commit themselves to furthering the cause of animal welfare during the Maltese Presidency, and beyond.

However, such initiative cannot be taken in isolation and without the involvement of the civil society. Our endeavours to be a voice for those who don’t have one, has to be substantiated with three important initiatives. First, strengthening education at school levels.  Only by educating our children to respect animals can we nurture adults who do not ill-treat animals -weather they are companion, wild or farm animals on the way to the slaughter house.

Second, legislating for the real protection against cruelty and mistreatment of animals. Legislation must be a real deterrent to those who hurt animals. It must allow the Courts to impose heavy fines, and even prison sentences, for those found guilty of hurting or torturing animals; and third, putting in place strategies for effective enforcement to ensure that the law is obeyed and perpetrators of cruelty or neglect are brought to justice. It would be useless to have laws in place without a system to ensure their enforcement.

Finally, now that Christmas is here, and so it is that time for buying gifts, please remember that animals – particularly puppies, kittens, bunnies and other cuties - are not just for Christmas, to be neglected or thrown out once they outgrow the novelty or their cuteness. Animals bought as pets should be given nothing less than loving, forever homes.  If that’s not the intention, please buy a soft toy instead! 

I would like to take the opportunity to wish all the readers a blessed and peaceful Christmas, and a new year full of happiness, prosperity  and above all, health.

 

Marlene Mizzi, Member of the European Parliament