Question to the EC: Routine tail-docking of pigs

See Francisco Guerreiro’s question to the European Commission and the written answer on the routine tail-docking of pigs.

Subject: Routine tail-docking of pigs

In 2018 and 2019, the Commission asked the Member States to produce action plans showing how they intend to enforce the prohibition of the routine tail‑docking of pigs. In 2019, it prepared evaluations of each of the Member States’ action plans. 

Between 2017 and 2019, it carried out audits in nine Member States. In 2019, it reported that 98.5 % to100 % of pigs are tail‑docked in those Member States, despite the fact that routine tail‑docking had already been prohibited for 26 years. When the Commission carries out a series of audits on a particular subject, it usually produces an overview report. 

We welcome the Commission’s commitment to enforcing the EU’s legislation on farm animal welfare. We would also urge it to continue to build on the constructive work of the previous Commission with regard to enforcing the prohibition of the routine tail‑docking of pigs. 

1. Will the Commission explain why its evaluations of the action plans have not been sent to the Member States?

2. Does it plan to send the evaluations to the Member States? 

3. Why has it not produced an overview report on this occasion?

Answer in writing

As stated in its reply to Question E-001663/2020 on the same subject, the welfare of pigs is one of the animal welfare priorities for the Commission. In that reply, the Commission listed a number of actions taken to support Member States in their efforts to stop the docking of pigs’ tails. Furthermore, in the same reply the Commission detailed the main future activities in the field of animal welfare that will be carried out in the framework of the Farm to Fork Strategy. These includes actions to improve the welfare of pigs and the enforcement of the current legislation. 

In addition to the above, the Commission has discussed on several occasions with Member States the action plans and their implementation providing feedback on them. 

The exchanges with the Member States will continue to provide feedback on the action plans in different formats (including writing). These activities will contribute to the ‘fitness check’ of the EU legislation on the welfare of farmed animals started in May 2020. 

The series of audits and the action plans referred to by the Honourable Member formed part of the Commission’s three-year project to reduce systematic tail docking of pigs. One of the project’s outputs was the Commission’s continuous assessment of the action plans, through these audits and other feedback mechanisms. With this output in mind, the Commission did not include an overview report in this project.

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