In its most recent scientific opinion, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) delivers a blistering reality check: beef cattle across the EU are frequently subjected to poor, outdated and harmful welfare conditions resulting in further suffering. The Opinion, adopted in June 2025, confirms what many scientists and civil society organisations – including AAFT – have said over many years. Read the full EFSA report here, or check out EFSA’s plain language summary.
Among EFSA’s key findings:
- Lack of access to pasture remains widespread, despite strong scientific consensus that grazing and outdoor space are essential for cattle welfare.
- Routine practices like castration and disbudding are still being carried out without pain relief, in contradiction to clear scientific advice and more humane standards.
- Welfare monitoring is minimal or absent, with indicators such as lameness or mortality often left untracked.
The result? Millions of animals suffer in systems that lag far behind what science – and society – demand.
At AAFT, we’re not letting this slide. Following EFSA’s publication, we wrote to the European Commission urging the institution to use these findings as the basis for strong, species-specific and enforceable legislation. This is not just a technical issue but a political and ethical one. EU law must reflect current science, uphold public trust and stop leaving entire species like beef cattle behind under outdated legal frameworks.
Animal welfare is inseparable from the broader shift we need toward sustainable, fair, plant-rich food systems that respect animals, support farmers, and protect the planet. As the Commission is still working on its long-overdue revision of animal welfare legislation, the message is simple: EFSA has spoken. Now it’s time to put these recommendations into law.