*[Enwl-eng] Giving birth in a cage

[ENWL]

      A life squeezed in a cage is no life at all. Without action from the European Union, pigs, rabbits, birds, and other farm animals are condemned to lives of misery.


      SIGN NOW! 
Imagine being imprisoned for weeks, and having to feed your newborn children through cage bars. The majority of mother pigs in the EU have to endure a life like this, and once they are finally released from their cages, they are re-inseminated and the caged cycle begins all over again. [1]

In Europe alone, hundreds of millions of animals spend most of their lives, some from birth to death, in a cage. Cages keep animals isolated or tightly packed in confined areas. In the worst cases, the cages are barren, provide minimal space and prevent even moderate exercise. [2] Just like you and me, other animals also feel bored, anxious, and sick. None of us could live in a cage without extreme suffering.

With the European elections taking place in just a few weeks, people all over Europe are mobilising to tell candidates that a growing number of citizens in Europe don’t want animals to live in cages. More than 750,000 people have already taken action. [3] But to truly make this a hot topic and grab candidates' attention during busy campaigning days, we need to reach a massive number: 1 million! Could you help with your signature? 

            Sign now to free farm animals from cages! 
     

EU legislation already stipulates that “the freedom of movement of an animal... must not be restricted to cause unnecessary suffering.” [4] It also states that “where an animal is continuously or regularly confined, it must be given the space appropriate...” [5] Confinement systems used on farms throughout Europe breach this EU legislation, yet these cage systems continue to be routinely used in many EU member states.

If more than 1,000,000 EU citizens sign the European Citizens Initiative (ECI), the EU Commission and MEPs will be obligated to meet us and reply to the initiative in detail. It could even result in the Commission proposing a new EU law – just like what happened after our ECI to ban glyphosate reached 1,000,000 signatures. We’re over 75% of the way there, but now we need a big push from the WeMove community!

            Sign now to free farm animals from cages!  
     

The way animals are caged in Europe often doesn't allow them to interact with others, to socialise properly – a fundamental need for them, as it is for us humans. Moreover, some have to constantly keep the same artificial postures to fit in their cages! Basic needs like stretching or even looking around are denied.

The WeMove community has been at the forefront of the push for sustainable and humane farming in Europe. There are many things wrong with the way our farming system is currently run, and cages in farming is just one of those things. Together we’ve already taken action to call for an end to industrial meat production that leads to animal suffering, monoculture and the massive use of pesticides in our farming. Now we have a real chance to make cages a thing of the past in European farming. Will you join us?

In solidarity,
Olga (Bologna), Virginia (Madrid), Alex (Marseille), and the entire team at WeMove.EU



PS: Because this campaign is a European Citizens’ Initiative, you’ll have to enter your details in a two-step process. The ECI is like an official EU petition, so it requires more information than we’d normally ask from you to sign a petition. Please fully complete the ECI form in order to have your signature counted and verified by your national government.



References
[1] Until 2013, in most of the European Union, sow stalls could be used throughout pregnancy. Now, the EU Pigs Directive prohibits the use of sow stalls after the first four weeks following insemination. However, the farrowing crate is allowed and used routinely for up to 5 weeks per pregnancy in many EU member states.
[2] Extreme confinement is still a feature of farming systems for many different species – from pigs forced to nurse their piglets in crates, to rabbits and quail enduring whole lives in barren cages, and ducks and geese caged for force-feeding to produce foie gras. https://www.ciwf.org.uk/media/7434596/end-the-cage-age-why-the-eu-must-stop-caging-farm-animals.pdf
[3] http://ec.europa.eu/citizens-initiative/public/initiatives/open/details/2018/000004
[4] “Council Directive 98/58/EC of 20 July 1998 concerning the protection of animals kept for farming purposes” https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31998L0058:EN:HTML
[5] “European Convention for the Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes” https://ec.europa.eu/food/sites/food/files/animals/docs/aw_european_convention_protection_animals_en.pdf



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From: Olga - WeMove.EU 
Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2019 2:26 PM
Subject: Giving birth in a cage

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