Animal welfare organisation Compassion in World Farming has expressed concern this month as data released by the European Commission shows that a third of EU member states are expected to be in violation of new animal welfare laws when they come into force in January next year.

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From January 2013, the use of sow stalls will be forbidden after the fourth week of pregnancy throughout the EU. The stalls, also called gestation crates, have been shown to increase the risk of a range of physical and mental traumas for pregnant animals, interrupting their natural behaviours of rooting and nesting; their use has been banned in Sweden and the UK for over a decade.

However, figures released by the European Commission earlier this month, based on evidence supplied by individual member states, reveal nine states are expected to miss the January deadline. Compassion in World Farming said member states have had more than a decade to prepare for the changeover and has pledged to monitor non-compliance after the new laws are introduced.

Austria, Cyprus, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Slovenia re expected to be in breach of the new legislation come January 2013.

Following the fiasco surrounding this year’s Welfare of Laying hens Directive, which outlawed the use of barren cages in the EU, animal welfare organisations have expressed concerns that without swift action implementation of the Pig Welfare Directive could prove just as embarrassing. On 1st January when the welfare of laying hens directive came into force, over half of all EU member states, including Great Britain, were not compliant with the new directive. The EU Commission came under stiff criticism for its lack of effective action in tackling non-compliance.

Welfare organisation compassion has launched a campaign to improve the welfare of pigs in Europe and raise awareness of the issues surrounding pig farming in Europe. The Project Pig campaign is putting pressure on the Commission and member states to ensure the Pig Welfare Directive comes into effect “on time and in full.”

Dil Peeling, Director of Public Affairs at Compassion commented on Tuesday (21st August),“Farmers across Europe have had since 2001 to prepare for the new rules, and the fact that there are still a significant number of farms in some countries that are not yet compliant is concerning. The new law will go some way to levelling the playing field across the EU but will only help if it is fully enforced.”

Coinciding with moves to phase out sow stalls in Europe, major pig companies in the United States have agreed to gradually abandon the stalls, although pig meat supplier Sodexo has set itself the unambitious deadline of 2022 for retiring sow stalls. Nevertheless, the Humane Society of the United States has celebrated Sodexo’s announcement as a victory.

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