Vienna/Brussels, 7 February 2024 – Yesterday, the European Commission announced its agreement for an EU net emission reduction target of 90% for 2040. The document lays out a number of policies through which this target could be achieved but omits any mention of substantial regulation for the agricultural and animal farming sector. Global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS strongly condemns the business-as-usual approach in maintaining a regulatory exceptionalism that only benefits the largest companies in the sector. Coming off the back of the farmers’ protests, it has become clear that the sector needs a systemic change to become socially, economically and environmentally sustainable. FOUR PAWS criticises this missed opportunity and strongly urges for a reduction of factory farming and the transition to food system, respecting animal welfare and the planet.

As the impact assessment conducted by the Commission states, around 50% of non-CO2 GHG emissions come from agriculture. Animal farming alone is responsible for 55% of the EU’s methane emissions. This is echoed by the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change (ESABCC), for whom climate neutrality cannot be achieved without shifting away from emission-intensive agricultural practices such as livestock pollution.

However, this reality has been disregarded by the Commission, as the communication lacks a sectorial target and an ambitious path for the transformation of the current animal farming sector. FOUR PAWS urges the EU to seriously consider the challenging task of changing our food systems, starting with a just and humane reduction in the number of farm animals. This is the quickest way to reduce the animal farming sector’s carbon footprint.

Miguel Zhan Dai, Climate Policy Officer at FOUR PAWS said “While we welcome the European Commission’s step in further recognising the critical role that dietary shifts will play in the EU’s emission reduction, this is only one side of the food system. A systemic shift that moves away from intensive animal agriculture is simply inevitable if the European Union is to cut 90% of its emissions. The missing piece is political willingness for a just and fair transition that provides a sustainable future for all.”