All Wales Euro-MP Jill Evans is backing new Europe wide proposals to improve animal welfare and protection.

The European Commission has adopted its first ever action plan on animal protection designed to improve animal welfare across the EU between now and 2010.

The Plaid Cymru MEP is a member of the European Parliament's Intergroup on Animal Welfare and was responsible for an influential parliamentary report on animal testing, bringing forward calls for more alternatives to animal testing and an eventual phasing out of the practice.

The new action plan considers a range of issues designed to help improve animal welfare including:

- better implementation of minimum standards for animal welfare across the EU;

- investment in scientific research to improve animal welfare;

- establishing a European Centre for Animal Protection to focus animal welfare work in the EU;

- reviewing rules to protect animals that undergo tests and experiments;

- an EU animal welfare label for animal based products.

Commenting, Mrs Evans said:

"This is a welcome move - and I'll be backing these proposals to improve animal welfare. There is growing public concern about the way animals are treated and the European Commission should be commended for taking action on this."

"It's a shame it's taken this long but now that they've set out a clear way forward we need to make sure that the resources are made available to make long term, permanent improvements to the way animals are treated."

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