Speeches

Mr President, this is my first debate after a long period of fighting breast cancer. In the meantime, I expected that all the promised cancer prevention measures would have been taken up. But not so. The Commission is doing exactly the opposite. The rules on agricultural poison are being relaxed. Carcinogens are once again allowed in cosmetics. A ban on PFAS is pending. Meat consumption is not discouraged, but rather stimulated by a ban on veggie burgers. And as if that were not enough, you also bow to the lobbyists of the tobacco industry. I strongly condemn the erosion of the protection of the environment and public health, not only for the Commission, but also for the MEPs who make this possible. For me and for all the other people who have cancer. You're making cancer a political disease. Stop making empty promises and stop destroying everything that is vulnerable.

Mr President, the disastrous effects of climate change are becoming increasingly visible and are also costing more and more lives. Animal and plant species are dying out at an unprecedented rate. Pollution of soil, water and air threatens the basis of our existence. But while we only have one generation left to keep our planet liveable, the European Commission is putting forward an agenda of greenwashing and clean washing. Beautiful words do not solve the climate problem. A blank cheque to polluting industry does not stop biodiversity loss and delay and relaxation of environmental rules are not a response to the ongoing pollution of our planet. Under the motto of simplification, our future is sacrificed for the blind pursuit of profit by business. How short-sighted can you be, Commissioner? Even if you think money is the highest good, how are you going to earn it on a deserted planet?

I share your concerns. The Farm to Fork Strategy was very clear: more organic farming, less use of agricultural poisons, more animal welfare, and more consumption of fruit and vegetables instead of meat and dairy. However, we see that the agreement between the EU and Mercosur does exactly the opposite. This will allow us to re-export dangerous agricultural poisons and lower the standards for agricultural poisons that are banned here. We can already see that happening. There will be more meat and dairy coming this way, there will be more deforestation, there will be more imports of animal feed, etc. In short, our farmers and our environment are not served by the agreement with Mercosur.

Mr President, Commissioner, every year, Europe imports millions of kilos of wrong horsemeat from Argentina and Uruguay. Meat from severely abused horses that are also treated with hormones and medicines. That is processed here in bitterballen and other snacks. But instead of stopping these imports, Europe is only making the trade in faulty horsemeat easier with the agreement with Mercosur. That is just one of the many disastrous consequences of this trade agreement. Further deforestation will be carried out for the production of animal feed and biofuels. How can we meet the climate and biodiversity targets? South American farmers use pesticides that are banned here in Europe. With Mercosur, it is no longer possible to prevent this agricultural poison from ending up on our plate. Finally, I would like a commitment from the Commissioner that live animals will no longer be transported from Mercosur countries and will be brought here on giant ships.

Mr President, the hunt for whales is horrific. Whales are slaughtered with harpoons containing explosives. On average, it takes two hours and several harpoons to kill a whale. This is terrible. Fortunately, there has been a worldwide ban on whaling for almost forty years. However, some countries, including Iceland, do not comply with this ban. After killing 1,500 whales in recent decades, Iceland finally decided to stop whaling two years ago, thanks in part to calls from the European Parliament. The country has recently granted a permit to slaughter hundreds of whales. At the same time, Iceland is asking us for more favourable trade rates for its fishery products. This cannot be the case until the horrific Icelandic whaling has definitively ceased. We need to say "no" to the trade with whalers and stop whaling.

Mr President, gosh, the self-proclaimed interests of the farmers are busy again. Above all, I hear that we need to listen more to farmers and, above all, that we need to support them more financially. Meanwhile, the agricultural lobby is shutting down the Commission and Parliament to raise even more money for the biggest companies. And to top it all off, these outspoken MEPs, and even the European Commissioner, backed the disastrous Mercosur trade agreement. With this, they put a dagger in the back of European farmers. The only ones spinning yarn at Mercosur are the industrial farmers, animal feed producers and poison manufacturers. More animals will be towed, more forests will be cut down to produce feed and biofuels, and more agricultural poison will be used. The losers, those are the small and sustainable farmers, those are the inhabitants of the Amazon and those are the animals that are literally milked out. There is only one answer if you want to help the farmers: Say no to Mercosur.

Mr President, the disastrous effects of climate change are becoming increasingly visible and costing more and more lives. Animal and plant species are dying out at an unprecedented rate, and pollution of soil, air and water is affecting the basis of our existence. Every day of procrastination brings us closer to irreversible destruction of our planet. Doing nothing is associated with sky-high costs. And what does the Commission do? And a large part of this Parliament? They prefer to listen to the industry. Big Agro and to populists who willfully deny these truths, who all want to sacrifice our future for short-term economic gain. Commissioner Ribera, you are in charge now. But what are you going to do? How do you fight fake news from the far right? Here in this House too? And you say that your ambitions for the Green Deal have not changed. But what is the timeline? When will you present the missing proposals of the Green Deal?

Mr President, last week a football match was used as an opportunity to import the horrific violence in Gaza to Amsterdam. We should never tolerate that. We cannot accept that different groups are set up against each other by rioters. Or even by politicians who want to profit politically from the suffering of the victims. That's what's gonna hurt everybody. The Party for the Animals is deeply concerned about the hundreds of thousands of civilians who are victims of the unimaginable escalation of violence in Palestine and Israel. We are also deeply concerned about rising anti-Semitism and violence against Jews. And we worry about the increasing hatred and what that does to all of us. There is no justification for violence, hatred and intimidation. The genocide in Gaza is no justification for anti-Semitic violence in Amsterdam. The riots in Amsterdam are no justification for Muslim hatred, not even in the European Parliament. Let's all keep our heads clear and our hearts soft.

Mr President, South America is on fire, with record fires raging even in humid ecosystems such as the Amazon rainforest: Worst in 20 years. The savannahs of the Cerrado have also been severely affected, as has the Pantanal, one of the largest tropical swamps in the world. With the burning of these unique and carbon-rich ecosystems, not only plants, animals and people are under pressure. Huge amounts of greenhouse gases are also released, accelerating climate change even further. A coalition of 15 000 scientists warns of an irreversible climate disaster this week. The world is facing a critical and unpredictable new phase in the climate crisis. We, here in Europe, are complicit in this enormous destruction of the fragile and essential forests, savannahs and marshes. The main cause of these fires is continuous deforestation. Forests that are being destroyed to make way for even more livestock and for even more animal feed. For meat that ends up here on our plate. And what is the Commission doing about it? It makes matters worse by postponing the deforestation regulation. As a result, we will continue to import products for which forests have been destroyed for another year. That is unacceptable! I call on the Commission to: “Now stop importing products that contribute to deforestation and forest fires. The postponement of the deforestation regulation is clearly also intended to end the disputed trade agreement with the Mercosur countries. A trade agreement that will ensure even more imports of beef and cattle feed. A trade agreement that increases deforestation even further. This ash comes from the Pantanal, where 70% of the indigenous population's area burned down this year alone. Europe has that on its conscience. What will the Commission do to protect not only the Amazon, but also the Pantanal and Cerrado? I have three solutions for the Commission: put an immediate end to the import of deforestation-related products, put an end to the negotiations on Mercosur and put an end to the livestock industry.

Mr President, if we want to remain within the limits of the planet, urgent action must be taken in the agricultural sector. This is also stated in the opinion. A drastic reduction in the number of animals in livestock farming and a switch to a plant-based future are inevitable. It is outrageous that Mrs von der Leyen has postponed, watered down or wiped out much-needed laws, such as the animal welfare legislation announced in 2020. Billions of animals suffer as a result of outdated legislation, which, moreover, is not enforced. In addition, more than 300 million animals are still kept in cages. The opinion also states that new animal legislation is needed, including a ban on cages. Any further delay will not be tolerated. The missing proposals should not be presented in 2026, but before the end of this year. The animals have waited long enough. It's time for a change.

Mr President, where are the promised laws for animals? Where is the ban on cages in livestock farming? Where are the new rules for animals locked up in stables and slaughtered after a short and miserable life? Pigs need their tails. Calves should be able to grow up with their mother. Ducks should be able to swim in the water. Over the past ten years, the Party for the Animals has fought for this together with dozens of organizations. My heart breaks when I think of all those animals that are now abandoned. How long? How long will the animals have to wait? Not a day longer! We want all the promised laws for animals before the European elections. There is no excuse!

Mr President, for a very long time the wolf was extinct in the Netherlands and in large parts of Europe, shot by hunters and deprived of its habitat. Thanks to the strict protection, the wolf has recovered somewhat, but the wolf is still vulnerable. I therefore call on the Commission to: Get rid of the absurd plan to exterminate the wolves again. Your proposal undermines the protection of wildlife. And make no mistake: The people here who call for the wolves to be killed to protect the sheep do not care at all about the sheep, because then they would not allow millions of European sheep to be killed in European slaughterhouses with dry eyes. But no, they just hate the wolf and they love their shotgun. I'm not worried about the influence of a single protected species, the wolf, on agriculture. I am more concerned about the influence of agriculture on all those other protected animals and plants that are threatened in their survival.

Mr President, when we wash our clothes and clean our homes, we pollute the environment and the planet. This cynical reality needs to change. Too often there are harmful chemicals in cleaning products that pose a danger to humans, animals and the environment. Phosphates from laundry detergents pollute our water. The plastic packaging is also not sustainable. With this legislative change, we make a very good start with cleaning detergents. The ban on the use of animal testing for cleaning products is also a very important aspect of this law. But more is needed. I therefore urge the Commission to ban all hazardous chemicals and to ban the addition of phosphates. I also believe that European agricultural subsidies should be abolished.

I'm going to go straight to the door: Commissioner Hoekstra then shows his true face. Climate action is urgent and we need urgent action, the Commissioner said just four months ago. But less than a week after the farmers in Europe blocked the roads in protest against environmental and climate measures and set everything on fire, this Commissioner is dropping everything out of his hands to give them their way. By not abolishing fossil subsidies, by not reducing emissions from the agricultural sector and by not stopping the promotion of meat. We are not going to solve the climate crisis this way. No one benefits from this, not even the farmers. Commissioner, keep your back straight. To stop climate change, to save the planet and to give farmers a real perspective for the future.

Mr President, the Party for the Animals is often criticised for wanting to determine what people may or may not eat. That's partly true. We want everyone to have access to healthy, safe and sustainable food. That everyone can choose without worries for affordable food without agricultural poison, without genetic engineering and without animal suffering. It is our job, here in the European Parliament, to make this possible. This bill on genetically modified food does exactly the opposite. It releases all carefully designed rules to ensure healthy, safe and sustainable food. It puts pressure on freedom of choice and it is the death blow for the sustainable agricultural sector. How is it possible that the future of the entire organic sector is at stake here? This is possible because the biotech industry has made every effort to abolish the rules for genetic engineering. To top it all off, large seed companies are given all the space they need to patent plants, properties and techniques involved in the production of our food. Gentech is not the answer to the major problems our food system is currently facing. It does not lead to food security. Gentech strengthens the dependence on fertilizer, agricultural poison and multinationals. It leads to economies of scale, monocultures and the demise of small-scale farmers. The European Parliament can still choose. Choose real food security and vote against this bill.

Mr President, Commissioner, every year the European Union imports thousands of tonnes of horsemeat from Argentina and Uruguay. Since 2012, international animal welfare organisations such as the Tierschutzbund Zürich have repeatedly provided evidence of major welfare problems and mistreatment of horses in these countries. Sick and injured horses are not cared for and they are cruelly treated and neglected. They are hunted with fire, with electric shocks and with dogs. All this is contrary to European legislation on animal welfare. In addition to serious animal welfare problems, there are also traceability problems. Uruguayan gangs steal horses to offer them to slaughterhouses that produce horse meat for the European Union. Horse owners who went in search of their stolen animal sometimes found their horse in assembly centres or slaughterhouses. Uruguayan police reports also confirm that horse smuggling is taking place from Brazil to Uruguay. In addition, there is a major problem with prohibited drugs such as phenylbutazone or testosterone. It is not traceable whether horses have had these drugs before they end up in lurid slaughterhouses or trade centers. Owner statements are unreliable or sometimes absent. As well as civil society organisations, DG SANTE’s own audit service noted this in 2018. In October last year, DG SANTE again found that the welfare of horses in South America is not guaranteed, nor is the safety of the meat. However, this horse meat still ends up in the European Union. For example, unsuspecting consumers who pick up a frikandel at the corner snack bar, not knowing that they are buying dubious and possibly unsafe Argentinian horse meat instead of beef. Commissioner, in the EU, animals that have had testosterone or other prohibited medicines can no longer be slaughtered. They are excluded from the food chain. Why do you bring in bad horse meat from Uruguay and Argentina? In fact, the Commission wants to further release the trade in bad horsemeat with South America and reduce controls! The Commission previously replied to our written questions. Is ignoring the environment, food security, food safety and animal welfare rules a harbinger of what we can expect if Mercosur continues? These problems have been going on for a long time, at least for 12 years, and Parliament has since asked written questions on this subject on several occasions. In 2021, this Parliament called in a resolution to stop the import of bad horsemeat. Why is the Commission ignoring this call from Parliament and the findings of its own audit team? Is Mercosur really so important that Europe no longer cares about our own health and animal health? And if the answer is no, please stop importing horse meat! Finally, in South America, horses are not only slaughtered for their meat: Pregnant mares are also robbed alive of their blood. And that happens for the European market to make it PMSG, a fertility agent for the European livestock industry. The production of PMSG causes major animal welfare problems, such as structurally excessive blood collection and aborting unborn foals. This production is pure animal abuse and in this case too, the European Parliament has often called for a ban. In the Regulation on veterinary medicinal products, the Parliament and the Council even stipulated that the Commission should come forward with legislation on good manufacturing practices for these veterinary medicinal products before 29 January 2025. Can the Commission confirm that it is banning the import, production and use of PMSG as soon as possible, thereby putting an end to the horrific blood farms in South America and elsewhere in the world?

Mr President, healthy oceans are the basis for all life on earth, but pollution with plastic, manure and chemicals threatens life underwater. The biggest threat is fishing. With devastating bottom trawls, the world's oceans are plundered deep into the soil. Even marine protected areas are not safe and are being emptied. Finally, there is now an action plan to ban at least the most harmful fishing method in protected areas. But even such a logical measure risks being blocked by the European Parliament. Conservative politicians are putting the oceans at risk, and they are also deceiving the fishermen for whom they say they stand up. Fishermen, like other humans and animals, have no future without healthy oceans. That is why I call on you: Give oceans a voice and reject this harmful and short-sighted report.

Mr President, Norway’s decision to allow the seabed mining in the Arctic is very destructive for the vulnerable Arctic environment, even at the exploration state. The deep sea is the most extensive habitat on our planet and it supports high biodiversity. Scientists believe that as many as 10 million species inhabit the deep sea, an ecosystem that may be as rich as the tropical rainforest. The majority of species are yet to be discovered. The deep sea is also critical for other environmental services, such as long-term carbon sequestration. This kind of activity could quite literally start a global race to the bottom, a race to mine the ocean floor. The position of the EU is clear. The precautionary principle must be applied, and we need an international moratorium on deep seabed mining. We need to send a clear message to the Norwegian Parliament to withdraw their decision.

Mr President, thank you to both rapporteurs for their excellent work. During my childhood, I heard ominous reports in the news almost daily about the hole in the ozone layer and that led to action. CFCs, among others, were curbed very quickly. Fridges and aerosols have long been free of these propellants. The Montreal Protocol to save the ozone layer is a good example of the fact that if we put our shoulders together, we can solve problems. The ozone layer is recovering under the Montreal Protocol. However, substances that deplete and deplete the ozone layer remain a major concern. Especially since they contribute so much to the climate crisis. With this bill, good steps are being taken to address this. But we need to do much more to replace ozone-depleting gases used in production processes. The use of these substances for the production of, among other things, plastics and pesticides cannot be justified. As far as the Party for the Animals is concerned, this stops quickly. Prefer today than tomorrow.

Mr President, ecocide literally means killing our house. The war in Ukraine has caused horrific deaths and enormous human suffering. And he also kills the house, the ecosystems of Ukraine. The destruction of the Kakhovka dam – one of Europe’s largest water reservoirs – has led to massive fish mortality, rotting trees, oil and poison spills, and the destruction of biodiversity. That Ukraine wants to bring an ecocide case against Russia is therefore very understandable. Because the immense damage done to the environment is irreversible. We must support Ukraine in gathering evidence and we must always remain committed to protecting people, animals and their vulnerable environment. But above all, we must prevent serious, long-term and irreversible environmental damage and criminalise ecocide.

Mr President, bulls pierced with spears and killed horribly; ducks and geese that are compulsively fed, which is literally pushed down their throats for the production of foie gras; animals whose throat is slit without stunning until they bleed to death. These are all horrific cases of animal abuse that should have been banned a long time ago. Unfortunately, these abuses are protected by the European Constitution. I call on Parliament, the Commission and all European Member States to remove this absurd exception from the Treaties. In addition, in a world ravaged by climate change and biodiversity loss, infinite increases in production can no longer be the ultimate goal of the common agricultural policy. Infinite growth is impossible on a finite planet. We need a common food policy instead of a common agricultural policy. These are the Treaty changes that will help Europe and the planet.

Mr President, Commissioner, bees, butterflies and birds are threatened with extinction. Farmers and their neighbors are much more often affected by diseases such as Parkinson's, ALS, cancer. Poor water quality is making our drinking water more and more expensive. Our soils are in very poor condition and biodiversity is deteriorating worldwide. What is the main cause of all these problems? The huge use of agricultural poison. And that has to stop. Millions of citizens and countless scientists, together with the Party for the Animals, are advocating for toxic-free agriculture. Together, we can ensure that we re-produce our food in smart collaboration with nature, instead of constantly spraying it to death. Together we can help our farmers make the transition to sustainable agriculture. Together, we can force supermarkets to pay a fair price for healthy, toxic-free food. And together we can point the door to the toxic lobby of Bayer, BASF and other poison producers. That's how we turn the tide. This is how we keep the countryside and our world liveable. And that's badly needed. Our future depends on it.

Madam President, the Commission’s proposal to allow glyphosate for another 10 years is a disgrace and it is illegal. It is clearly not in accordance with our own safety criteria of our own laws. It is not in line with science. Already in October 2017, this Parliament asked the Commission to ban glyphosate no later than 15 December 2022. Glyphosate is ruining our health and the health of animals. It is polluting our environment, soils and water sources. We don’t need another resolution. We don’t need a phase-out as proposed by the Greens. We need to ban glyphosate now. Therefore, I would like to make a counter-proposal: I ask for a debate without a resolution, and I propose as a title of the debate ‘the need for an immediate ban on glyphosate’. I would like to ask the Chair on two separate votes on the request made by the other groups: one request to add a debate and one request to add a resolution.

Mr President, I really only have one question: Where is the vision for a plant-based future? Because plant-based is the future. And I'm not the only one saying that. This is also stated by the IPCC climate panel. This highlights that a plant-based diet substantially reduces greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss. It is also much better for humans and animals. Worldwide, half of all food crops disappear in the stomachs of animals instead of in the stomachs of humans. That while tonight another 1 billion people go to bed hungry. Logical? No, no, no, no. This is the logic of the livestock industry. It has to change drastically with fewer animals. Because fewer animals means more land to grow food for people. And also leave land to give back to nature. That is the vision we need and that is the vision that is missing in this protein strategy.

Mr President, if it is important for Europeans, it is important for Europe. President von der Leyen said this last month. But what are these words worth if the European Commission does not live up to its own promises for new and ambitious animal welfare legislation? What are these words worth if the European Parliament does not even bother to take a position on the fur industry when 1.5 million people have asked to ban it from Europe? What are these words worth, I wonder? The fur industry is literally about corpses. Live predators like minks, foxes and raccoon dogs want to play, hunt or swim. But the cruel reality is that they are deprived of all their freedoms and spend their lives in small cages. They are locked up there, languishing with thousands together. They can't run, they mutilate themselves, they often don't eat anymore and they abort their own boy because of stress. Foxes are even extremely fattened to produce more fur. Animals in the fur industry have been the victims of a diseased system throughout their lives, eventually being cruelly poached by electrocution of their fur. I'm not making it up. The fur industry is making it up. And no, if we ban the fur industry here in Europe, the animals will not get much worse in other parts of the world. There they use the same terrible cage systems as here in Europe. And if there are any concerns about that, then – I would say – the requested import ban offers the solution. How long will we continue to watch in Europe when the fur industry is already dead? Fur breeding poses a very high risk to public health. Animals don't deserve it. Citizens do not want it and even a large and growing part of the fashion industry does not want it. Are we waiting for the last few countries in Europe to abolish their fur industry? Or is this Commission itself taking the lead in banning the fur industry from Europe? You can still show that you take citizens seriously during the last year of your term. Embrace the European Citizens’ Initiative and come forward with a legislative proposal to ban fur production and imports into Europe. Together we can create a fur-free Europe.