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Infamous amendment to animal law has been scrapped
The infamous Vestering amendment has been scrapped. This change in the animal law could lead to great uncertainty in Dutch livestock farming, with possible lawsuits against livestock farmers. A majority of the House of Representatives ultimately voted against. Dutch livestock farmers will eventually have to implement more animal welfare measures.
The key in parliament ultimately lay with the PVV. Geert Wilders' party ultimately voted along with the parties with which it is conducting formation talks, the VVD, NSC and BBB. This concerned a so-called memorandum of amendment from Agriculture Minister Piet Adema and the amendment to it from Tjeerd de Groot and Thom van Campen. These were both adopted, meaning that the Vestering amendment was thrown out.
With the amendment to the law by Leonie Vestering of the Party for the Animals adopted three years ago by the House of Representatives and the Senate, it would no longer be permitted from 1 July to 'hurt an animal or cause injury to an animal or damage its health'. or to harm the welfare of the animal with the aim of housing the animal in a certain way'. Dehorning or docking would no longer be permitted, nor would keeping animals 'in a housing system that permanently deprives them of the opportunity to exhibit their natural behavior'. Impracticable for livestock farmers and unenforceable for regulators, according to Adema.
Esther Ouwehand, faction leader of the Party for the Animals, is deeply disappointed. According to her, animals are thrown under the bus. She made a last attempt by announcing an initiative bill with far-reaching requirements in the field of animal welfare. At her request, a roll-call vote was held for her proposal, with 45 MPs voting in favor and 99 against. PVV member Dion Graus did vote in favor.
New standards in 2040
De Groot and Van Campen's proposal also takes steps in the field of animal welfare towards 2040 and puts an end to unnecessary medical interventions, such as tail docking and dehorning. But the possibilities of livestock farmers and changeover periods are taken into account. Interventions without veterinary medical necessity are being phased out and rules are being laid down via AMvBs (general administrative measures) aimed at 'an animal-friendly way of keeping animals' in livestock farming.
Minister Adema also envisages that for each measure 'subordinate regulations for behavioral needs and for interventions should make it clear what is prohibited for each animal species, what must be made possible or what additional conditions are imposed on interventions'. De Groot and Van Campen just want to speed this up. These Orders in Council must be submitted to both Houses no later than one year after the bill comes into effect.
This must take into account what 'can reasonably be expected of the livestock farmer'. This also applies to the 2040 date by which the requirements must be met, if a longer transition period is necessary. An authority must also be set up to independently monitor progress towards animal husbandry, 'as has also been done with the antibiotic approach'.
The Adema amendment memorandum outlines the steps to achieve animal husbandry that is worthy of animal husbandry, initially involving measures without major financial consequences. It is stated that pilots are first needed in various areas and that there must be opportunities to make interim adjustments. Measures are left to a new cabinet.
'Calves stay with the cow longer'
The guidelines for the measures that must be laid down in orders in council in the first step are that for dairy farming, long-term pain relief during dehorning will be mandatory from 2026 and there will also be a ban on the new construction of tie-up stables (with a real ban from 2030/35). . In the long term, this will include a ban on medically unnecessary interventions and 'calves stay longer with the cow and at the farm of birth'. For example, there is also a longer-term ban on docking for pigs. During the farrowing period, the sow is housed with her piglets in cages in which she can move freely and the minimum required weaning age is 'substantially increased'.
A proposal by Pieter Grinwis (CU), Ouwehand and Eline Vedder (CDA) to finance measures for animal husbandry from the Transition Fund (for agricultural and nature measures) was also successful.
Linda van Eekeres
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