Animal Welfare Groups Join Forces to Influence Transatlantic Trade

An umbrella organization for animal welfare groups in the European Union has reportedly signed a declaration creating the Transatlantic Animal Welfare Council (TAWC), a cooperative agreement with U.S. activists that seeks to enforce humane handling standards in international trade. According to Eurogroup for Animals, the new forum seeks to “optimize resources by sharing knowledge, expertise and experience” among TAWC signatories, which include the Animal Welfare Institute, Compassion in World Farming, the Humane Society of the United States, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and the Royal Society for the Preservation of Animals. To this end, TAWC will convene “a plenary session two times per year and set up a number of expert working groups to focus on specific topics of mutual interest, such as animal testing, sustainable agriculture as well as specific bilateral and multilateral trade issues. ”

TAWC apparently aims to build upon the efforts of the Transatlantic Economic Council established in 2007 to ease trade barriers and regulatory burdens. “The initiative highlights the high level of citizen concern for animal welfare in both trading blocs and TAWC will cooperate constructively with the EU and USA authorities to ensure that trade discussions take due account of the special nature of animals as sentient beings and of consequent concerns for their welfare,” concluded an April 29, 2010, Eurogroup press release.