April 2025 Newsletter – Factory Farming in Focus: EU Reforms Ahead?
Welcome to the April edition of the European Institute for Animal Law & Policy's newsletter!
Dear subscribers and supporters,
Spring has arrived here in Europe, and with it, the pace of activity among the EU institutions has quickened. At the Institute, we’re meeting that energy with engagement on multiple fronts, from legislative monitoring to research projects to strategic advocacy. Momentum is building, and we’re pleased to share some of the key developments with you in this edition of the newsletter.
In this edition of the newsletter:
Updates from the Institute
White Paper: Achieving an EU-Wide Prohibition on Chick and Duckling Killing
General Update from the EU Institutions
Animal Law News
EU
Member States
International Law
Events
Job Postings and Career Opportunities
Publications
Updates from the Institute
Institute Events
On March 20th, the Institute and the Jeremy Coller Foundation successfully co-hosted an event in Paris on the topic of “Bridging the Policy Gap – How French Agricultural Interests Influence the EU Agenda Setting.” The event gathered more than 50 participants in the EU and French animal and food law and policy space for an in-depth discussion on France’s role in shaping EU food and agricultural policies.
From March 24th to the 26th, our exhibition, “Factory Farming: Unveiling the Hidden Costs” was held at the European Parliament. In collaboration with the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), we curated a powerful collection of photography that exposed policymakers and the public to the devastating impact of industrial farm animal agriculture. We are grateful to the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from across the political spectrum who stood with us, including Tilly Metz (Greens/EFA), Manuela Ripa (EPP), Krzysztof Śmiszek (S&D), Michal Wiezik (Renew), and Anja Hazekamp (GUE/NGL), all of whom co-hosted the event. We also thank Award-winning photojournalist Jo-Anne McArthur, who has dedicated her career to documenting the suffering of animals worldwide through the We Animals project, for delivering powerful remarks on the exhibition launch event. Learn more.
Events
On April 3rd, Gabriela Kubíková (Policy Advisor) and Alice Di Concetto (Chief Legal Advisor) presented at the roundtable organized by Ethical Seafood Research and the Global Research Network on the topic of Humane Slaughter of Aquatic Animals, Ethical Seafood Research and the Global Research Network. This roundtable was organized in recognition of World Animal Aquatic Animal Day.
On March 31st, Alice Di Concetto presented her recently published law review article, “Beyond Ecological and Economic Value: Taking into Account Wild Animals’ Inherent Interests in EU Environmental Law” at an online roundtable co-organized by the International Journal of Wildlife Law & Policy.
On March 21st, Alice Di Concetto delivered a guest lecture at Universita’ Milano Biccoca on animals in EU law.
On March 15th, Alice Di Concetto joined a roundtable on animals in the law at the Université de la terre conference (in French) at UNESCO, in Paris.
On March 5th, Alice Di Concetto presented on the protection of fish in EU and UK law at the Fish Veterinary Society’s annual conference in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Staff Update
Gladys Le Goff has joined the Institute as a Research Assistant, where she supports the Institute’s EU animal law and policy work. Gladys has been advocating for animals since 2020 and brings experience in public policy through roles in public institutions and nonprofits, both in France and internationally. She is currently completing a Master’s degree in Public Policy at Sciences Po (Paris, France), where she also earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Humanities in 2022. Gladys additionally studied philosophy and economics at UCLA (Los Angeles, USA).
Media Appearances
Our exhibition on factory farming was covered by The Brussels Times and Politico, with the latter publicizing how one of the images we had selected to display was deemed too graphic by European Parliament officials, highlighting just how hidden these procedures truly are.
Advocacy Updates
The Institute signed a series of statements and letters over the past month:
A joint statement on the EU Aquaculture Campaign, with the Food Policy Coalition’s Aquaculture Taskforce
A joint letter urging the World Bank to stop financing factory farming, with the Stop Financing Factory Farming coalition.
White Paper: Achieving an EU-Wide Prohibition on Chick and Duckling Killing
This quarter’s publication is our White Paper on Chick and Duckling Killing, which we published together with L214. This White Paper is an update of the 2023 version and provides the latest information on technologies that could spare hundreds of millions of chicks from being brutally killed in egg industry hatcheries. This white paper is co-authored by Alice Di Concetto, Olivier Morice (L214), Dr. Mathias Corion, and Simão Monteiro Belo dos Santos (KU Leuven).
Publications
Alice Di Concetto’s law review article, “The Protection of Selectively Bred and Gene-Edited Farm Animals under EU Law,” co-authored with Ilaria Cimadori and Khara Grieger, was published in the European Journal of Risk Regulation.
Anatole Poinsot’s law review article “Le droit de la santé animale: Un frein à la transition écologique,” co-authored with Eugénie Duval (in French), was published in the French environmental law review (Revue juridique de l’environnement).
General Update from the EU Institutions
Revision of EU Farm Animal Welfare Legislation
On March 13th, the European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare Olivér Várhelyi spoke at the Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals in the European Parliament. Commissioner Várhelyi also delivered an introductory address to the most recent meeting of the EU Platform on Animal Welfare. In both of these appearances, Commissioner Várhelyi confirmed that the Commission will publish the first legislative proposals in 2026. Specifically during the Platform meeting, Commissioner Várhelyi said the Commission was working on how to implement the End the Cage European Citizens’ Initiative and intended to present proposals to revise our existing animal welfare legislation, including phasing out the use of cages, following a “sector-by-sector” approach. However, Commission Várhelyi remained evasive regarding the specific timeline and scope of this new proposal for legislation.
The Transport Regulation
On March 3rd, MEPs Tilly Metz and Daniel Buda, the two rapporteurs of the proposal for a new Transport Regulation in the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI Committee), published a joint report gathering their amendments to the Commission’s proposal. The report is disappointing overall, highlighting the lack of transpartisan consensus on this issue.
On April 8th, the authors of the study “Animal Welfare During Transport: Update on the Implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005” presented their work to the MEPs, insisting on the need to update the Transport Regulation to align legal standards with best available science. The study was commissioned by the European Parliamentary Research Service at the request of the AGRI Committee.
MEPs from the Parliament’s AGRI Committee had until April 10th to table their amendments, with a Committee vote slated for October at the earliest.
Cats & Dogs Regulation
The proposal for a new Regulation on the Welfare of Dogs and Cats, and Their Traceability has also hit some roadblocks. While the vote in the AGRI Committee was initially slated for the beginning of April, the lack of consensus on the scope of the new proposed obligation to register and identify cats and dogs caused the rapporteurs to delay the vote by one month. The Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety (ENVI Committee) published its report on April 8th, and although the report is encouraging, the influence of the ENVI Committee on the AGRI Committee will likely be limited.
Animal Law News
Animal Law News in the EU
🇪🇺 EU
📝 New Laws
Economic Law: Directive 2025/794 amending Directives 2022/2464 and 2024/1760 as regards the dates from which Member States Are to Apply Certain Corporate Sustainability Reporting and Due Diligence Requirements was published in the EU Official Journal on April 14th. This Directive delays the entry into force of the Directive 2022/2464 as Regard Corporate Sustainability Reporting (CSRD) and Directive 2024/1760 on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (CSDD). The CSRD expands the scope of EU extra-financial reporting rules to include animal protection among the issues that companies must report on; while the CSDD requires companies with over 1,000 employees, and with yearly revenue above €450 million, to draft monitoring plans with the aim of identifying and preventing human rights and environmental risks in their respective production chains around the world.
✍️ Public Consultations
Aquatic Animals (Common Fisheries Policy): The Commission has launched a public consultation to gather information and experiences regarding the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
Deadline: April 21th, 2025.
Animals Used for Scientific Purposes: The Commission has launched a public consultation on its proposal to revise Regulation 440/2008, which outlines the approved methods for animal testing under the REACH Regulation. The proposed changes include introducing new methods and updating existing ones to minimize the number of animals used in chemical testing and to refine the testing procedures.
Deadline: May 1st, 2025Other News
Aquatic Animals: On March 6th, the Commission published an evaluation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) (Directive 2008/56/EC) in which it concluded that the Directive had not fully achieved its environmental objectives, in particular with the protection of biodiversity and the reduction of pollution. The Commission calls for improved implementation in order to achieve the sustainability goals set by the Directive.
Wild Animals (wolves): On March 6th, the European Commission proposed to amend the Habitats Directive to downgrade the protection status of the wolf from “strictly protected” to “protected,” in line with the Bern Convention. This change follows the amendment of the Bern Convention Standing Committee that took place in December 2024. The proposal will have to be approved by the European Parliament and the Council. On April 16th, the Council approved the Commission’s proposal.
Aquatic Animals – On March 21st, the European Economic and Social Committee published its opinion on a Proposal for a Regulation amending Regulation 1026/2012 concerning conservation measures for fish stocks in relation to countries that permit non-sustainable fishing.
Animals Used for Scientific Purposes: On April 1st, the European Parliament adopted amendments on the proposal for a new Regulation Establishing a Common Data Platform on Chemicals, Laying Down Rules to Ensure That the Data Contained in it Are Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable and Establishing a Monitoring and Outlook Framework for Chemicals. This regulation aims to centralize information on chemicals into a single location to improve transparency and facilitate better safety assessments of chemicals.
Member States
⚖️ Rulings
🇧🇪 Belgium – Free Speech: On February 17th, the Brussels district court ruled that the Belgian meat federation (FEBEV) had committed wrongful and abusive litigation against two animal protection organizations, Tierschutzbund Zürich (TSB) and Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF). FEBEV’s lawsuit attempted to incriminate TSB and AWF for publishing videos revealing severe animal welfare violations in slaughterhouses.
🇳🇱 Netherlands – Farmed Animals: On February 19th, the Dutch highest administrative court ruled that the competent Dutch administration on animal welfare (Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit) was allowed to authorize hatcheries to provide food and water to newborn chickens up to 42 hours after hatching. This ruling was handed down as the result of a lawsuit filed by Wakker Dier in 2013.
Other News
🇧🇪 Belgium – Access to Justice: On April 2nd, the Justice Committee of the Belgian Federal Parliament rejected a bill that would have granted animal protection organizations legal standing in animal protection-related cases.
🇧🇪 Belgium – Food Policy: In April 2025, the Dutch city of Nijmegen introduced a ban on meat and dairy advertisements in public spaces. Nijmegen is the fourth Dutch city to adopt such a ban, following Haarlem, Bloemendaal, and Utrecht.
🇫🇷 France – Aquatic Animals: On March 17th, the nonprofit organizations Bloom and Foodwatch filed a lawsuit against Carrefour, alleging that the company had violated its duty of due diligence regarding risks related to public health, human rights abuses, and environmental degradation associated with tuna fishing practices. Learn more.
🇮🇹 Italy – Animals Used for Scientific Purposes: In March, the Italian Senate committed to exploring the possibility of amending a 2014 rule to promote and reinforce the use of animal-free scientific methods, while also strengthening the oversight of facilities that use animals for scientific purposes.
🇸🇰 Slovakia – Wild Animals (bears): On April 2nd, the Slovakian executive approved a plan to kill 350 bears.
🇪🇸 Spain – Farmed Animals (environmental justice): A group of seven Spanish citizens and two neighborhood associations in the Galicia region have filed a legal action against national and regional authorities, alleging that the pollution originating from industrial pig production puts their health at risk in a way that violates their rights to be free from torture and inhumane and degrading treatment, and their right to private life under the European Convention of Human Rights. Learn more.
🇸🇪 Sweden – Fur Animals: The Swedish government has launched an inquiry on the enforcement of the ban against fur farming, so as to accelerate this ban.
🇸🇪 Sweden – Farmed Animals: In early April, the Swedish Parliament rejected a proposal from the government to remove the obligation that cows must graze outdoors during the summer.
🇩🇪 Germany – Farmed Animals: The new German government just published its coalition agreement. Key provisions include the creation of public funds to improve the welfare of animals on farms and amend the labeling rules related to farm animal welfare.
🌏 International Law
📝 New Laws
🇲🇽 Mexico (Mexico City) – Bullfighting: On March 18th, Mexico City’s Congress adopted an ordinance that bans the killing or harming of bulls during bullfights.
Other News
🇺🇸 USA – Animals Used for Scientific Purposes: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a roadmap to phase out animal testing requirements for monoclonal antibodies and other drugs.
🇺🇸 USA (Maryland) – Humanewashing: The animal protection organization Animal Outlook has reached a $287,500 settlement with a poultry production company over misleading “free-range” claims. Drone footage revealed that many hens did not have meaningful access to the outdoors, contradicting the company’s marketing. As part of the settlement, the company will remove all “free-range” language from its packaging and marketing materials.
Events
Academia
Conference – Transforming the Anthropocentric Legal Paradigm: Animal Rights Within Nature Rights, University of Rijeka, Faculty of Law, April 25th – 26th, Rijeka (Croatia) and online. Learn more.
Talk – Anna Caramuru, A Phenomenological and Ecofeminist Account of Animal Rights, University of Helsinki, Animal Law Centre, May 7th, Helsinki (Finland) and online. Learn more.
Talk – Jessica Tselepy, I am More than Cargo: An Examination of the Legality of Measures Which Restrict the Trade of Farmed Non-Human Animals Within the WTO Regime, University of Helsinki, Animal Law Centre, May 28th, Helsinki (Finland) and online. Learn more.
Conference – Animal Liberation: 1975 – 2025 and Beyond, Rennes University, June 4th – 5th 2025, Rennes (France). Learn more.
Conference – 5th Annual UK Animal Law Conference, Birmingham City University, June 4th – 5th 2025, Birmingham (UK). Learn more.
Conference – The Legal Distinction Between Persons and Things: Changing Perspectives, University of Antwerp, July 7th – 8th 2025, Antwerp (Belgium). Learn more.
Summer School – The Ethics of Captivity, The Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics Annual Summer School, August 4th – 7th, Oxford (UK). Learn more.
Conference – European Animal Rights Law Conference, Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law, September 4th – 5th, Cambridge (UK). (More information to come.)
Conference – Animal Law & Advocacy Conference, Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law, September 26th – 28th, Toronto (Canada). (More information to come.)
Conference – Animal Law Conference, Animal Legal Defense Fund and the Center for Animal Legal Studies at Lewis & Clark Law School, October 17th–19th, Chicago (USA). Learn more.
NGOs
Event – Cultivating a Shared Future, Advancing the Common Agricultural Policy, Four Paws, April 23rd, Brussels (Belgium). Learn more.
Event – What Legal Status for Animals in Sanctuaries?, Association Coexister et Œuvre d’Assistance aux Bêtes d’Abattoir, April 23rd, Brussels (European Parliament). Register.
Summit – AVA Summit North America, May 15th–18th, Los Angeles (USA). Learn more.
Job Postings and Career Advancement
Summer School – Applications for the Animal Law, Rights, and Representation Summer School at the University of Antwerp (Belgium) are open. Learn more.
Summer School – Applications are open for the Summer School on the topic of “The EU Transition Towards Sustainable Food Systems: Legal and Policy Perspectives” at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa (Italy). Learn more.
Fellowship – The School for Moral Ambition offers a seven-month, full-time fellowship designed to launch high-impact careers. Learn more.
Job Offer – Anima International is looking for a Global Policy Generalist based in Brussels. Learn more.
Publications
Law & Policy
European Parliamentary Research Service, Animal Welfare During Transport: Update on the Implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005, EPRS Study (2025).
Academia
Eva Bernet Kempers and Elien Vernier, Handboek Dierenrecht, LEA Uitgevers (2024) (in Dutch).
Ilaria Cimadori, Alice Di Concetto, and Khara Grieger, The Protection of Selectively Bred and Gene Edited Farm Animals under EU Law, European Journal of Risk Regulation (2025).
Julia Kessel and Roman Bartosch, Animal as Artists: An Interdisciplinary Conversation on German Copyright Law, Journal of Animal Law, Ethics and One Health (2025).
Emma Ryba, Diana Davis, Tenny Tse, and Stephanie Singer, Shrimp and Prawn Welfare in the Wild-Caught Fishing Industry: A Global Review and Recommendations for Research and Policy, Routledge (2024).
Michele Schiavo, Pierre-Marie Aubert, and Chantal le Mouel, The Economic Implications of an Agroecological Transition for the Meat Industry: An Agent-Based Modeling Approach Applied to the French Livestock Sector, Journal of Agricultural Economics (2025).
Franco Sotte and Gianluca Brunori, European Agricultural Policy: History and Analysis (2025).
Arie Trouwborst, Trapping and Re-Educating Bold Wolves in the European Union: Obligatory and Illegal at the Same Time?, Review of European, Comparative, and International Environmental Law (2025).
Laurence Walder et al., Roadmap for Phasing Out Animal Testing for Chemical Safety Assessments: Recommendations from a Multi-Stakeholder Roundtable, ALTEX - Alternatives to Animal Experimentation (2025).
NGOs and Private Sector
Alice Di Concetto, Olivier Morice, Matthias Corion, and Simão Monteiro Belo dos Santos, Chick and Duckling Killing: Achieving an EU-Wide Prohibition, The European Institute for Animal Law & Policy and L214 (2025).
FAIRR Initiative, Climate and Nature-Based Interventions in Livestock (2025).
Zoetis, The Human-Animal Bond Handbook (2024).
Calls for Contributions
The Journal of Animal Law, Ethics and One Health (LEOH) is calling for papers. The LEOH is an online, peer-reviewed, open access academic journal launched in 2023 by the Center for Animal Law and Ethics (CALE) at the Faculty of Law, University of Zurich (Switzerland).
Applications to speak at the 2025 CARE Conference are open. The CARE Conference will take place on September 11th – 14th in Warsaw (Poland) and online.