PRESS INFORMATION
Brussels, 10 November 2008
International conference on the trade opportunities animal welfare has to
offer
A conference showing the benefits higher standards for animal welfare have to offer to
international trade will take place in Brussels on 20 and 21 January 2009. The Conference on
Global Trade and Farm Animal Welfare will bring together anyone from farmers, retailers,
politicians, academics, international institutions and animal welfare organisations to present
positive experiences of inclusion of animal welfare in the trade environment. This event,
which follows a forum held in Brussels last April, is being organised by the Directorate-
General for External Trade and the Directorate-General for Health and Consumers of the
European Commission, together with Eurogroup for Animals, Royal Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Compassion in World Farming, and World Society for the
Protection of Animals.
Scientists have linked higher standards for animal welfare to improved food safety and better
food. World-wide there is also a growing demand for high welfare products which farmers
and retailers can sell at an increased profit margin. The link between animal welfare and
development is increasingly being recognised by institutions such as the World Bank’s
International Finance Corporation and the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture
Organisation.
Adolfo Sansolini, trade policy advisor for RSPCA, Compassion in World Farming, Eurogroup
for Animals and WSPA, commented: “Farmers, retailers and governments have got a lot to
gain by working together on animal welfare. Business opportunities don’t stop at the border.
“Higher standards for animal welfare are a chance to tap into a continuously growing market.
Consumers are becoming increasingly interested in how their food is being produced. Animal
welfare is no longer only a just cause, but also a trade opportunity that should not be
missed.”
The programme has been published and it is now possible to register for the event. For more
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ENDS -
For more information, call Steven Blaakman, senior press officer at Eurogroup, on 0032
(0)27400823 or email him on s.blaakman@eurogroupforanimals.org. Outside office hours,
he can be reached on 0475731066.
Notes:
o
The European Union explicitly states in its Community Action Plan on the Protection and
Welfare of Animals 2006-2010 that the Commission wants to promote high animal welfare
standards in the EU and at the international level. This involves co-operating with developing
countries on creating production systems with higher standards for animal welfare, which
would help them to export to the union.
NEWS 
