April 2024
The Étiquette Bien-Être Animal (Animal Welfare Label), a progress initiative for French livestock farming
Founded 5 years ago, the Association Étiquette Bien-Être Animal (Animal Welfare Label Association) has succeeded in launching France's first label to inform consumers of the level of animal welfare behind a product. Backed by the support of livestock industry players and recognized NGOs, it now audits 40% of French broiler breeders, and is pursuing an ambitious roll-out in the name of consumer transparency and the promotion of best animal husbandry practices.
During the recent protests at the beginning of the year, farmers continued to denounce the unfair competition they face. French livestock farmers, who are driving change in tomorrow's livestock farming and are committed to meeting societal challenges, are directly affected by imports, which are often less expensive. The difficulty of accessing information on the origin and quality of products on the shelves means that consumers are not always able to make informed choices.
"We need to recognize the efforts, direction and progress made by breeders, and the only way to do that is through labelling," says Louis Schweitzer, Chairman of the Association Étiquette Bien-Être Animal.
One of the aims of the Animal Welfare Label is to inform consumers about the living conditions of the animals from which the products they are about to buy originate. This approach, which applies regardless of production method, aims to explain the efforts made by the breeder and the industry.
"Labeling must make consumers understand that, if they are in favor of animal welfare, they must accept to pay the cost of this progress," sums up Louis Schweitzer.
"Applying it to our products means recognizing the day-to-day work of our farmers in terms of animal welfare," adds Léa Boullier, representing Fermiers de Loué and a member of the association since 2019.
A major commitment from the livestock sectors concerned
After 5 years of existence, the association is delighted with its many successes, attested both by the figures and by the testimonials of its active members.
- With 4 members at the outset, the Association now has 24 members representing the industry, producers, retailers and animal protection NGOs (CIWF, LFDA, OABA and Welfarm).
- The volume of meat products covered by the label continues to grow: with over 15% of French broiler production, nearly 300 million chickens have been labeled since the initiative was launched. To achieve these figures, 40% of French chicken farmers were audited by the association (i.e. 3,700 farms). Another figure revealing the success of the approach is that 60% of free-range farmers (organic and label rouge) have signed up.
- Nearly 70% of supermarkets have signed up to the Animal Welfare Label scheme, with some thirty ranges involved. In addition to A and B-rated products, over 80% of these supermarkets now offer C-rated products on their shelves.
- The approach deployed in the broiler sector has been extended to the pork and laying hen sectors. Each sector has its own reference system. More than 120 people (NGOs, producer groups, processors, distributors and scientists) are involved in the construction and development of these technical standards.
Each stakeholder has its own constraints, but also its own strengths to bring to the table: we have to take all these into account if we are to move forward," stresses Stéphane Jamet of the Le Gouessant group. It's also a question of compromise. We can't reason alone at our own level.
Through this collective effort, the approach brings "an increase in skills and awareness," says Priya Husan of Franprix: "As a professional, but also as a consumer, I pay more attention, even if it means paying a little more for a product, to have a reassurance about the living conditions of the chicken.
The 5th anniversary of the Association Étiquette Bien-Être Animal was a resounding success. This has been made possible by the commitment of all its members, for whom the technical standards not only enable the label to be affixed to products, but also constitute a genuine internal improvement tool. And the approach is bearing fruit: " audit results are constantly improving ", reports the association.
The point of these discussions is to give breeders the visibility they need to know where to direct their investments," says Mickaël Benoit of Cooperl. The aim is to discuss a vision while remaining pragmatic and taking into account technical and economic constraints."
"Bringing so many different players to the table, on so many different occasions and on so many different subjects, managing to discuss and build a transparent reference framework to improve animal welfare is a magnificent challenge that we have taken up," enthuses Aurélia Warin, the association's director.
Ongoing development of pig and laying hen standards
The association remains mobilized to cover even more products. The pork standard has already been finalized for levels A and B, and the standard forlaying hens should be available in 2024. Since the association was set up, over 110 auditors have been trained in animal welfare assessment according to the various technical standards.
