Brussels, 21 March 2007

Commission refers Greece to Court over animal welfare infringements

The Commission has decided to refer Greece to the European Court of Justice for failure to properly implement and enforce EU legislation on animal welfare in transport and at slaughter. The decision to take this action against Greece follows persistent short-comings identified in the field of animal welfare over a number of years. The standard of animal welfare in Greece remains below par and the necessary legislation has not been adequately implemented. Therefore, the Commission has no alternative but to refer the case to the Court of Justice.
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Brussels, 20 November 2006

Cat and dog fur: Commission proposes total EU ban

The European Commission has today adopted a proposal to ban the import, export and sale of cat and dog fur in the EU. There is evidence that cat and dog fur is being placed on the European market, usually undeclared as such or disguised as synthetic and other types of fur. The vast majority of the cat and dog fur is believed to be imported from third countries, notably China where the rearing of these animals for this purpose is practiced. Many Member States have introduced their own specific legislation against cat and dog fur in response to the strong opposition of EU consumers to the trade of fur from these animals. However, as these national bans are divergent, they may cause disruption to the internal market. The proposed Regulation adopted today addresses EU citizens concerns and creates a harmonised approach, prohibiting all production, marketing and imports and exports of cat and dog fur in the EU. It also establishes a system of information exchange on the detection of cat and dog fur.
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Mon, 20 Nov 2006

EU action on trade in cat and dog fur

The European commission has backed proposals to ban the import, export and sale of cat and dog fur across the EU - but other EU fur farms will remain open for business. EU commissioner for health and consumer protection Markos Kyprianou said the EU was responding to popular calls for a ban of cat and dog furs. "The message that we have received from EU consumers has been loud and clear," he told journalists on Monday.
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