Humane World for Animals Europe

14/10/2026

🎉 Woolrich Europe is going fur-free!
This means fewer animals will suffer for fashion and sends a powerful message to the industry: compassion is what consumers want.
Thank you to everyone who spoke up, signed petitions and took action. Together, we're proving that cruelty-free fashion is the future. 🩵

Fur Free Alliance
Woolrich

13/10/2026

Protecting wildlife takes more than one solution. 🦥 ⁠
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From education and outreach to rescue, rehabilitation and local partnerships, we're tackling the wildlife trade from all angles to help keep sloths and other wild animals where they belong: in the wild. ⁠

12/10/2026

Five years ago, 1.4 million Europeans called on the EU to end the caged confinement of farmed animals. The European Commission committed to act. We're still waiting.

On 1 October, we joined the End the cage age the Cage Age coalition outside the European Commission in Brussels to remind it of that promise.

The first proposals, for hens in egg production and chickens raised for meat, are expected by the end of the year, with proposals for pigs expected to follow in 2027. But calves, rabbits and many other farmed animals have been left out so far.

Citizens are asking for it. NGOs are asking for it. Most surveyed farmers say they would go cage-free with the right support. Now the Commission must deliver, for all animals. ⏰

12/10/2026

Congratulations to BirdLife Europe and Central Asia and all NGO partners on this hard-fought win! Banning lead in gunshot won’t stop hunters killing birds, but it will spare millions of birds, especially in wetlands, from lead poisoning and protect public health. A major victory against one of the most persistent forms of pollution.

𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗴𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗨!

Just now, the European Parliament approved in plenary the Commission's proposal to restrict lead in gunshot. This decision ends years of debate on one of Europe's most persistent forms of lead pollution.

Once in force, this restriction will ban lead gunshot everywhere, including outside of wetlands and in sport shooting, with a seven-year transition period. It will be applied across the EU, the European Economic Area, and Northern Ireland.

Scientists have known for more than 30 years that lead is highly toxic to wildlife and people, and there is no safe level of exposure. Yet, more than 44.000 tonnes of lead are still scattered across the EU every year through hunting, sport shooting and fishing.

This pollution puts at least 92 bird species at risk and kills approximately 1 million birds every year. Thanks to this restriction, 135 million birds at risk of poisoning and 1 million children at risk of exposure in the EU will be protected.

This is a huge step towards a pollution-free Europe. But the fight is not over. European countries must make sure the restriction is properly implemented.

Marion Bessol, Nature Conservation Policy Officer says: “We have known for decades that lead poisons birds and people, and today Europe has finally acted on it. Lead shot is still the biggest source of lead pollution from am******on, so this is a significant victory for vultures, eagles and swans, and for the children who eat game meat. It rewards everyone who kept pushing, from scientists and hunters to the tens of thousands of citizens who signed our petition. We now want to see it implemented properly on the ground, and we will keep working until lead bullets are covered too."

Read our full press release here: https://www.birdlife.org/news/2026/10/08/lead-gunshot-will-finally-be-banned-across-the-eu-ending-the-largest-remaining-source-of-lead-pollution-from-hunting-and-shooting/

09/10/2026

Not all egg production systems give hens the same opportunities to behave naturally.

In cages, hens are confined in spaces where they can’t properly express behaviours, such as nesting, perching and dustbathing. Their movement is also severely restricted.

Cage-free systems give hens more freedom to move, spread their wings, nest and express other natural behaviours. Free-range systems can go a step further by giving hens access to the outdoors.

Cage-free doesn’t mean every welfare issue has been solved. But removing cages eliminates several of the severe welfare problems inherent to cage systems and generally gives hens significantly better lives.

So this World Egg Day, look beyond the egg and consider the system behind it. 🐔

If you buy eggs, choosing cage-free or free-range can help support higher-welfare housing systems, or, even better, you can choose a plant-based alternative!

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09/10/2026

1.4 million citizens asked. The European Commission promised. Five years later, millions of farmed animals are still waiting.

Dr Jo Swabe Swabe, Senior Director of Public Affairs at Humane World for Animals Europe, joined the End the Cage Age coalition event outside the European Commission in Brussels with one clear message: it's time to deliver.

By the end of this year, the Commission is expected to present its first proposals: ending the use of cages for hens kept for egg production and improving the lives of chickens raised for meat. Proposals to improve pig welfare are expected to follow in 2027. But for calves, rabbits and the many other animals still confined in cages, there is nothing on the table yet.

A first step is not the end of the cage age. ⏰
It’s time for the Commission to act now! Let’s make space, no excuses: share this post!

08/10/2026

In a historic stand against animal cruelty, Switzerland has become the first country in the world to ban both the import and sale of fur.

Last year, the Swiss Federal Council banned all imports of fur and fur products produced using “methods that involve cruelty to animals.”

Now, the country has taken the next logical step, banning the sale of fur products within its borders, and thus setting a hugely important example for other countries to follow.

Learn more: https://www.humaneworld.org/en/blog/switzerland-bans-fur-imports-and-sales

07/10/2026

For a hen, searching for food isn’t just about finding something to eat.

Foraging is a natural part of her daily life. In fact, wild hens can spend up to half of their time looking for food.

They scratch, explore and search their surroundings. These are behaviours that matter to them.

But cage systems can restrict foraging and many other natural behaviours, alongside privacy, nesting, dustbathing and the ability to move away from other hens.

A cage takes away more than freedom of movement. It prevents a hen from being who she is.

Understanding what hens need is an important step towards understanding why cage confinement matters. 🐔

05/10/2026

Paris Fashion Week ends tomorrow. Fur cruelty shouldn't outlast it. 🦊

London, New York and Milan have all turned their backs on fur. Paris is the only major fashion capital still promoting it on the runway.

On fur farms, animals such as mink, foxes, raccoon dogs and chinchillas are kept in conditions that cannot meet their natural needs.

And the industry is already moving on. More than 1.5 million EU citizens have called for a Fur-Free Europe, while leading fashion houses and retailers have committed to fur-free policies.

As Paris Fashion Week comes to an end, we’re calling on the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode to end its association with fur and commit to a fur-free future.

📢 Share this post.

04/10/2026

Every animal deserves a life free from suffering and exploitation. 🐾

From farmed animals kept in cages to animals killed for their fur. From dogs rescued from the meat trade to wild animals threatened by trophy hunting, trafficking and other forms of exploitation.

Humane World for Animals works every day to create lasting change for animals, challenging cruel practices, working with governments and businesses, supporting better laws and policies, and helping people build a more humane world.

True animal protection means standing up for all animals.

This World Animal Day, we’re celebrating the progress made, shine a light of what still needs to be done, and continuing the work to make a better future possible for every animal. ❤️