Pressure on President of the European Commission is growing in Germany
Animal Equality Germany is putting pressure on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to mention animals in her State of the European Union speech on 16th September. The actions included messages delivered to German homes, a truck touring across Germany, and an ad in German newspapers.
Tens of thousands of letterboxes: know about broken promises
From late August, tens of thousands of people across Germany found a flyer with a striking message in their letterboxes: “Why is Ursula von der Leyen allowing this to happen?”
The flyer exposes the cruel practices of the animal agriculture industry. This includes the killing of day-old male chicks in the egg industry – considered worthless by the industry because they cannot lay eggs – and the cruel confinement of hens and mother pigs in cages. At the same time, it shows people how they can take action for animals directly from their own homes.
Transparent truck brings suffering into public view
A transparent truck, touring across Germany, brought the suffering of pigs into the public eye. Inside the vehicle was a ‘gestation crate’, the narrow cage in which mother pigs are confined for months with almost no freedom of movement. While this cage is illegal in the UK, similar cages – ‘farrowing crates’ – are still legally permitted and are used to cruelly confine around 200,000 mother pigs each year.
A truck equipped with a large LED screen was also deployed at the EU headquarters in Brussels, bringing the campaign’s clear demand directly to the doors of the European Commission: “Ursula von der Leyen: Silence keeps them caged. Speak up for animals.”
Personal message in Germany’s leading media
To increase the political and public pressure on Ursula von der Leyen, Animal Equality published an open letter in the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) – one of Germany’s most influential national daily newspapers – as well as other major newspapers. The letter publicly reminded the President of the European Commission of her responsibility.
The reason behind these actions
Millions of pigs, chickens and other animals are still suffering in cramped cages on farms across Europe. They can barely turn around or carry out most of their natural behaviours. The European Commission, fully aware of these terrible conditions, promised a comprehensive set of legislative reforms for animals five years ago. As President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen bears direct political responsibility for the Commission’s years of inaction.
Since Ursula von der Leyen is from Germany – a country which carries significant political weight within the European Union – Animal Equality Germany has substantially increased public pressure in the country over the past few weeks.
Our demand to Ursula von der Leyen
Animal Equality is now calling on Ursula von der Leyen to confirm, on September 16th, that the Commission will abolish cages and end the egg industry’s killing of male chicks – with transition periods that do not prolong animals’ suffering, and with no exceptions or loopholes. In her State of the Union address, when she presents the Commission’s priorities for the coming year before the European Parliament, animals must not be left out once again.
Call on Ursula von der Leyen to take action too!
You don’t have to be in Germany, or even in the European Union to take part and support our team. Our supporters in the UK can also help too, with the click of a button! For you, it only takes a few seconds. For millions of animals, it could change their entire lives.
Take action for animals now – call on Ursula von der Leyen to act:
Protect pigs
Pigs are highly social animals who are often considered smarter than dogs. You can protect these intelligent animals by simply choosing plant-based alternatives.