Brussels court accuses Belgian meat federation FEBEV of sabotage and abuse of the legal system.

Brussels, February 28, 2025 - Clear words from the Brussels judges at the Court of First Instance: the Belgian meat federation FEBEV has committed ‘malicious sabotage of the public debate through abuse of the legal system’ with its lawsuit against the animal welfare organisations Tierschutzbund Zürich (TSB) and Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF). The federation wanted to block a video that criticised its ‘Respectful Life’ label as misleading. However, as the court now states, the federation's sole aim with its pleas in law, all of which ‘cannot be regarded as serious’, was to bring the animal welfare organisations to their knees with its legal campaign so that they would no longer have to face criticism. Meanwhile, the lawsuit itself would ‘never have had any prospect of success’, the judges ruled. The judges sentenced FEBEV to maximum procedural compensation of 12,500 euros for ‘abuse of the proceedings in a rather blatant manner’.

This is not the first time that FEBEV has tried to silence unwelcome critics of imported horsemeat. FEBEV also sued the Belgian animal rights organisation GAIA before the commercial tribunal on the grounds that GAIA's action against Carrefour's continued insistence on selling Argentinian horsemeat in Belgium was a breach of fair-trade practices. Horsemeat importers and their federation have shamelessly claimed some 255,000 euros from GAIA. The Brussels Court of Appeal also ruled against FEBEV in this case.

"This decision confirms FEBEV's strategy of attempting to silence associations that expose the reality of the facts. Rather than evolving towards greater respect for animals, FEBEV persists in legal proceedings in an attempt to hide unbearable practices," reports Ann De Greef, GAIA CEO.

A misleading label for horsemeat imported from Argentina

FEBEV uses the ‘Respectful Life’ label to lead consumers to believe that horsemeat from Argentina is safe. The label stands for a supposedly species-appropriate life for horses. However, the treatment of the animals is by no means ‘respectful’: AWF and TSB have repeatedly found serious breaches of animal welfare at the slaughterhouses and assembly centres where the labelled meat comes from.

‘Hundreds of hours of video footage from our on-site investigations show how horses are beaten and kicked, how they arrive at the slaughterhouse emaciated and are left unattended despite their injuries,’ reports Sabrina Gurtner from TSB.

AWF and TSB published the findings from these investigations online in 2022. The video (in German) shows untenable conditions in the supply chains of FEBEV members. FEBEV launched an aggressive legal campaign against the published video. The meat federation tried to intimidate and wear down the animal welfare organisations with a lawsuit for defamation and damage to business and to stop the film with a temporary injunction - but without success!

On the face of it, FEBEV sued for alleged ‘untrue, misleading information’ in the video. The court states that the federation ‘does not substantiate these allegations in any way’. It writes: ‘The plaintiff bases this claim solely on its own one-sided and unsubstantiated allegations, which are not supported by any concrete, tangible or objective elements.’

An international pressure network and a SLAPP strategy

As emerged during the trial, the federation also coordinated with other stakeholders for its lawsuit. During the court hearing on 13 January 2025, one of FEBEV's lawyers admitted that they had coordinated their lawsuit with the Swiss importer Skin Packing. Skin Packing had also sued TSB in criminal and civil proceedings, but both claims were dismissed in court. This coordination is a clear indication of an international ‘SLAPP’ strategy by these meat importers. They are trying to achieve that AWF and TSB, which are only financed by donations, give up due to a lack of funds. ‘SLAPP’ stands for ‘strategic lawsuit against public participation’ and describes a targeted strategy of attrition by financially strong parties against financially weaker, often non-profit organisations.

‘SLAPP is a worrying phenomenon because it aims to stifle public debate through the abuse of justice. We are seeing an increase in such SLAPPs in Belgium, but also throughout Europe,’ says lawyer Anthony Godfroid. ‘This must be combated.’

AWF, TSB and GAIA refuse to be intimidated by the meat importers' strategy. The organisations are calling for an immediate import ban of cruelly produced horsemeat from overseas.

An industry marked by animal cruelty

As the latest investigations by the animal welfare organisations show, the horses at the assembly centres and slaughterhouses in Argentina, but also in other South American countries such as Uruguay, continue to be cruelly transported for long periods of time, are not given sufficient food and water and are left to fend for themselves when injured or dying.

The EU must act: towards an import ban

The European Parliament has already spoken out in favour of an import suspension on horsemeat from Argentina in a resolution from 2021. The EU Commission must finally put this demand into practice. As long as it remains inactive, animal welfare organisations are urging meat importers to voluntarily stop importing cruelly produced horsemeat from South America.