Agricultural Policymaking in the European Union – Predictors of Voting Behaviour in the European Parliament in the Field of Farm Animal Welfare Policies

Agricultural policies are in transition: new actors are entering the traditionally closed policy field, emphasizing new ideas related to environmental sustainability and contributing to a de-compartmentalization of the policy field (Daugbjerg & Feindt, 2017; Daugbjerg & Swinbank, 2012). Among these new demands farm animal welfare is receiving increasing societal and political attention (Cornish, Raubenheimer, & McGreevy, 2016; Vogeler, 2018). The majority of EU citizens agrees to reduce subsidies for farmers in case of non-compliance with animal welfare standards, over 80% believe that farmed animals should be better protected (Commission, 2016). The EU began to engage in the field of farm animal welfare in the 1970s. In 1997 animals were recognized as sentient beings in the Treaty of Amsterdam. In addition, regulations for the rearing of poultry, laying hens, pigs and calves were passed, for other species only non-binding recommendations exist. The latest policy proposal aiming at the protection of farmed rabbits was discussed in the European Parliament in 2017. Despite this rising attention for farm animal welfare, political scientists have not yet engaged in the analysis of decision-making in this policy field. First hypotheses have been presented regarding animal welfare policymaking in the EU member states (Vogeler, 2018), however, determinants of decision-making on the EU level are largely unexplored. Drawing on research on voting behaviour in the European Parliament (Hix, 2002; Kreppel & Tsebelis, 1999) we provide a quantitative analysis of voting on farm animal welfare policies in the European Parliament. Building on findings on animal welfare policymaking on the national level, we expect that party affiliation is an important determinant for voting for or against stricter animal welfare regulations. Secondly, we assume that the level of national animal welfare regulations, the economic significance of the domestic farming sector and the existing welfare standards on farms are important predictors for voting behaviour.   References Commission, E. (2016). Special Eurobarometer 442. Report. Attitudes of Europeans towards Animal Welfare. Cornish, A., Raubenheimer, D., & McGreevy, P. (2016). What We Know about the Public's Level of Concern for Farm Animal Welfare in Food Production in Developed Countries. Animals, 6(11). Daugbjerg, C., & Feindt, P. H. (2017). Post-exceptionalism in public policy: Transforming food and agricultural policy. Journal of European Public Policy, 24(11), 1565–1584. Daugbjerg, C., & Swinbank, A. (2012). An introduction to the ‘new’ politics of agriculture and food. Policy and Society, 31(4), 259–270. doi: 10.1016/j.polsoc.2012.10.002 Hix, S. (2002). Parliamentary Behavior with Two Principals: Preferences, Parties, and Voring in the European Parliament. American Journal of Political Science, 46(3), 688-698. Kreppel, A., & Tsebelis, G. (1999). Coalition Formation in the European Parliament. Comparative Political Studies, 32(8). Vogeler, C. S. (2018). Why do farm animal welfare regulations vary between EU member states? A comparative analysis of societal and party political determinants in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK. Journal of Common Market Studies, online first.