Animal welfare rules under EU review

Earlier this summer, the European Commission launched a public consultation inviting feedback on potential animal welfare measures. A follow-up questionnaire is now open until 12 December 2025, asking EU residents about their views on current regulations, the importance they attach to phasing out cage systems for various species, and the extent to which imported products should comply with the same welfare standards.

This initiative is prompted by a planned reform of European welfare regulations. The Commission is currently gathering information for this purpose and intends to present proposals from early 2026 on how the welfare regulations should be revised for various livestock farming sectors.

Commission targets cage use

A key element of the proposed regulations is the phase-out of various forms of cage housing across multiple species. The European Commission aims to ban cage systems at the EU level for layers, pigs, calves, rabbits, and several other poultry species.

Furthermore, the Commission intends to explicitly include in the new welfare regulations that imported animal products must also originate from animals that comply with these standards.