[Conclusions and recommendations of the FVE (Federation of Veterinarians in the EEC) on animal welfare (author's transl)].

During the past thiry years, systems were developed in animal husbandry which raise serious questions for animal welfare with regard to nutrition and housing. The main cause of these problems consists in the fact that the development of these systems is governed solely be economic, expense - saving principles. The livestock breeder is not mainly to blame for these systems, nor is the agricultural scientist who invented them. Society as a whole is responsible for the fact that the welfare of production animals is in conflict with the expressed demand for cheap mass-production. Veterinary surgeons cannot avoid these questions, because their co-operation is requested in these intensive animal husbandry systems. They are also asked to preform interference procedures or mutilations to render animals suitable for these systems. As only decisions on EEC level can lead to the beginning of a solution of the above problems, the FVE has attempted to reconcile the views of national associations in order to provide precise veterinary advice to the EEC Commission. As a result, the Federation formulated thirty-three conclusions and recommendations, which are reviewed in detail in this paper.