Dzīvnieku brīvība
DzB
“Dzīvnieku brīvība” (Animal Freedom) is a non-profit animal advocacy organisation in Latvia that works to end animal suffering in industrial agriculture, fur farming and entertainment industry.
ID: 203037843821-50
Lobbying Activity
Response to Revision of EU rules on textile labelling
29 Sept 2023
We welcome the EU's initiative to revise Textile Regulation 1007/2011, a step that aligns well with its broader goals for sustainability and consumer protection. The existing fur labelling system, particularly Article 12, falls short. A significant loophole allows products with more than 20% real fur by weight to avoid labelling, leaving consumers uninformed (Fur Free Alliance, 2017, p. 6). It is important to note the strong public opposition to fur farming, both in Europe and in Latvia. The Fur Free Europe campaign has collected over 1.5 million signatures, advocating for a ban on fur farming and the sale of farmed fur products. In Latvia alone, 64,162 verified signatures were collected, making it the most successful campaign in relation to the population size among all EU countries. This overwhelming public sentiment underscores the need for transparent fur labelling. Lastly, we suggest a comprehensive fur labelling system that should be mandatory and clearly visible on all products containing real animal fur. Labels should specify the animal species, its country of origin, and the methods used for its rearing and killing. They should also clearly distinguish between real and faux fur, aiding consumer choice and aligning with the EU's transparency objectives. We strongly advise against any labelling that implies improved animal welfare in fur farming, as no current systems offer meaningful improvements in this area. Reference Fur Free Alliance. (2017). Mislabelled and Misleading: Fur labelling problems in the EU market. Retrieved from https://www.furfreealliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/MislabelledMisleading_Fur-Labelling-Problems-in-the-EU-Market.pdf
Read full responseResponse to Review of poultry marketing standards
15 May 2023
Force feeding is an example of complete disregard of animal welfare, daily violence towards frivolous ends. All independent studies confirm this. Consequently, force feeding is a crime in most EU countries. However, this violence is currently in effect mandated in the EU Regulation on marketing standards for poultry meat through minimum liver weight requirement for duck and goose livers. We call for an end to this egregious legal construct in EU law. Note also that from the consumer perspective, the end of force feeding does not mean the end of foie-gras. In fact, these legislative changes will expand consumer choice. Consumers will be able to buy foie-gras from non force-fed animals. Currently, consumers do not have such a choice. There is even no space for higher-welfare, traditional, smaller businesses to inform consumers about the advantages of their product; because they are in effect banned to give way for mandated daily violence. Established and increased only in the 1990s, these minimum requirements are an example of an insidious corporate overreach that, in clear disregard for animal welfare, also limits consumer choice and impoverishes traditional producers.
Read full responseResponse to General arrangements for excise duty – harmonisation and simplification
24 May 2022
The widely outlawed, violent practice of force-feeding for foie gras production runs a large risk of harming animals. This is confirmed by published peer-reviewed research. Stricter regulations, e.g. by enabling enable post-mortem inspections, have the potential to increase compliance with at least the existing regulations in all relevant jurisdictions. The likely result is fewer injuries and less animal suffering in the process production. If injuries as a result of force-feeding are uncommon, the regulation would confirm this. In any case, the regulation will reduce uncertainty about the frequency of unlawful violations and improve the quality of information on which EU citizens can make their decisions.
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