Completing the
European legislation on the “Big 5” (farm animals, lab animals, sports animals, wild animals and pets) would be a vital win for the short-term. If achieved, this would continue to make the European region appear throughout the world as a pioneer in animal welfare legislation. It can, in fact, show what more can be done to better protect animals at regional level. To complete the European legislation, adopted from both the Council of Europe and the European Union, it seems that there is a special need and demand to address in particular: exhibitions (e.g.: circuses, zoos & aquatic parks), entertainment (hunting; competitions etc.) and general bans for traditional practices (e.g.: foie gras, bullfighting etc.). Other, hardly regulated (or pending) sectors also need to be quickly addressed (e.g.: fur farming; dairy farms and pets – the European convention on pets adopted by the Council of Europe is the only convention on animal welfare that is, at the time of writing, not integrated in EU legislation).
