European campaign launched to 'end livestock farming'

It is the 115th European citizens' initiative since the mechanism was launched in 2012.

The "Stop Cruelty Stop Slaughter" initiative calls for incentives for producing plant proteins, including plant-based milk and egg substitutes and cultivated meat.

Organisers of the "Stop Cruelty Stop Slaughter" campaign have six months to collect at least one million statements of support for progressively closing all livestock farms, after the European Commission registered their campaign as a new European citizens' initiative.

It is the 115th initiative since the European Citizens' Initiative was launched in 2012.

The European Commission can be invited to propose legal acts, if a registered initiative is supported by at least one million citizens from at least seven EU Member States.

The "Stop Cruelty Stop Slaughter" initiative calls for incentives for producing plant proteins, including plant-based milk and egg substitutes and cultivated meat.

The organisers also call for reducing the number of farm animals, and progressively closing all animal farms. They say that "factory farming" and slaughterhouses are at odds with the 1978 Universal Declaration of Animal Rights and the Treaty of Lisbon, which grant all animals the same rights to existence, and define them as sentient beings.

They also say factory farming and slaughterhouses threaten public health, through the spread of pandemics and health and hygiene problems (salmonella, avian influenza, etc.).

They call for plans to reduce the number of EU farm animals by 50% per year, beginning with "factory farms", followed by free-range farms and slaughterhouses.

The organisers say it is an aberration to keep animals for the sole purpose of fattening and slaughtering, enriching those who keep them.

They want to see EU subsidies shifting to ethical production of plant proteins, including milk and egg substitutes, and production of cultivated meat to be fed mainly to pets and companion animals.

Initiatives are registered only if they fall within the Commission's legal powers; are not manifestly abusive, frivolous or vexatious; and are not manifestly contrary to the values of the EU.

Most of them fail, with 64 out of 114 unsuccessful, due to lack of support. Among the failures was an "End the slaughter age" initiative calling for excluding livestock farming from EU subsidies, diverted instead to plant-based and cellular agriculture. So the latest, similar initiative, may also be over-ambitious.

Many proposed initiatives involve food production. "Protect the EU’s Rural Heritage, Food Security and Supply" was another failure, it asked the EU to modernise rural commitments for food security and for protection of the rural way of life.

But collection of support is ongoing for "Defence of Agriculture and Rural Economy in Europe", calling for priority use of farmland for food production; a guarantee of food sovereignty and security; addressing food chain issues and high prices; and ensuring access for rural communities to infrastructure and transport, finance, digitalisation, work, entrepreneurship, and education.

Support is also being sought for "End The Horse Slaughter Age", an initiative to ban slaughter of horses, and their breeding and export for production of fur, leather, meat, medicines, or other substances.

Better food labelling has been sought in a number of initiatives, including one due to start soon, calling for quality, sustainability, origin and labour labelling ("Stop fake food").

Also due to start soon is a "Save the Planet by shifting taxation from labour to greenhouse gas emissions" initiative.

Along with 64 failed initiatives, 25 were withdrawn by their organisers, who stopped collecting signatures of support. Included was the "Save the bees! Protection of biodiversity and improvement of habitats for insects in Europe" initiative.

Also withdrawn was the "EU Directive on Dairy Cow Welfare" initiative. It called for improved welfare of the EU’s 23 million dairy cows.

Among the 64 unsuccessful initiatives was one calling for a vegan alternative in the sale of all food and beverages to the public in Europe to be made legally binding.

Another called for improved access to food for an estimated 46m European citizens (8% of the population).

Also unsuccessful was a "People4Soil" initiative to save the soils of Europe.

There have been a few pro-cannabis initiatives, and an unsuccessful "European Free Vaping Initiative".

If an initiative exceeds the support thresholds, the European Commission is obliged to decide if it will take action.