Hungarian Commissioner responsible for animal welfare in the European Commission

Oliver Varhelyi (Photo: EU)

The new European Commission took office on 1 December, after the body led by Ursula von der Leyen received final approval from the European Parliament. The new Commission was elected by MEPs with 370 votes in favour, 282 against, with 36 abstentions. The 27-member College of Commissioners will set the priorities and ambitions of the European Commission for the period 2024-2029, based on the political guidelines that President Ursula von der Leyen presented to the European Parliament on the day of her election. These priorities build on the work of the first mandate and focus and direct attention on strengthening the future of Europe and its citizens in the coming years.

The National Chamber of Agriculture welcomes the fact that for the first time since our accession to the European Union, a Hungarian Commissioner has been appointed to the board who can directly promote EU and domestic agricultural interests

In addition to health, Olivér Várhelyi will be responsible for animal and plant health and food safety. During the hearing of the new Commissioner, he pledged to reduce pesticide risks, promote non-chemical alternatives and maintain the EU’s high food safety standards, reassuring consumers that imported food meets the strict EU criteria. The Commissioner previously stated that if confirmed, he would talk to farmers about ways to improve animal welfare and end the “cage period”. He also committed to increasing the availability of viable alternatives to pesticides for farmers. MEPs had previously asked Olivér Várhelyi questions on a range of topics, including the EU’s food security, the labelling of agricultural products, novel foods and the planned concrete measures to prevent and combat animal diseases.

It is welcome that for the first time the EC has a Commissioner specifically responsible for animal welfare, and the new Commissioner will have plenty of work to do

A number of animal welfare-related laws are in the pipeline, which will be up to the new Commission to finalise. We previously reported that Slovenian, Bulgarian, French, Portuguese and Swedish delegates submitted an information document to the Council on 27 May 2024. The delegation called on the European Commission to present a revised proposal for the regulations on the keeping of farm animals and on welfare standards at the time of their killing. The 8-month process of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture also ended in September, with all stakeholders agreeing on the urgent need to review EU animal welfare legislation by 2026, in line with scientific evidence. The National Chamber of Agriculture firmly believes that the transition to sustainable agri-food systems can only be achieved if rules ensuring high animal welfare standards are established in the process and farmers are given the appropriate assistance in implementing them.

NAK