Animals can’t vote, but you can!


News
4 June 2024

This week - from 6 to 9 June - more than 400 million citizens across 27 countries can vote for the European Parliament. The EU has a big influence on your life, but also on the lives of many billions of animals. In order to keep our planet livable for current and future generations, we must drastically change our interactions with other animals. That’s why parties from the Netherlands, Germany, France, Cyprus, Spain and Portugal formed Animal Politics EU. We are ready to speak up for the entire planet and all its inhabitants!

Countless studies have shown why we need to take action with regard to the animal industry. To end the enormous suffering [1], to fight climate change [2], to protect nature [3] and to prevent new pandemics [4]. Despite this, every year 8.4 billion land animals and a multitude of sea animals are being killed in the EU. And over 80% of the agriculture budget – the EU’s biggest expense – goes to the animal industry, artificially keeping the prices of destructive products low.

We know what to do, but in practice animals always pull the short straw. We need parties dedicated to these fundamental issues, representing animals rather than short-term economic interests. Animal Politics EU is leading change from the centre of our democracy, influencing policies to ensure animals are represented fairly.

These parties – with their leading candidates – together form Animal Politics EU.

Our plans

In our manifesto we translated our critical approach to the system into pragmatic plans to turn the tide. Our plans include decreasing the number of animals kept in the livestock industry by 75%, banning fur farms, stopping illegal pet trade and ending animal transports. We also want to protect animals in the wild, such as wolves, achieve a pesticide-free food system and appoint a dedicated EU-Commissioner for Animal Welfare.

Besides our common manifesto and website, you can find the plans of the six parties by clicking the links below (voting dates between brackets).

You can save a life by choosing for a future where compassion is at the heart of our society. Animals can’t vote, but you can!

Click here for more information about the elections per country. Check out our Facebook, X and Instagram for our common campaign for an animal-friendly and green Europe.

Sources

[1] four-paws.org/campaigns-topics/topics/farm-animals/cruel-practices-in-farm-animal-husbandry
[2] eurogroupforanimals.org/news/eu-policies-need-support-dietary-shifts-sustainable-farming-tackle-climate-change
[3] vox.com/future-perfect/22287498/meat-wildlife-biodiversity-species-plantbased
[4] ciwf.org.uk/research/animal-diseases/zoonotic-diseases/