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Animal rights |
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Animal rights vary greatly among countries and territories. Such laws range from the legal recognition of non-human animal sentience to the absolute lack of any anti-cruelty laws, with no regard for animal welfare.
As of November 2019, 32 countries have formally recognized non-human animal sentience. These are: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Republic of Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.[ citation needed ] It has been proposed that the United Nations (UN) pass the first resolution recognizing animal rights, the Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare, which acknowledges the importance of the sentience of animals and human responsibilities towards them.[ citation needed ]
The Great Ape Project is currently campaigning to have the United Nations endorse a World Declaration on Great Apes, which would extend to non-human great apes the protection of three basic interests: the right to life, the protection of individual liberty, and the prohibition of torture.[ citation needed ] Six countries currently ban the use of great apes for scientific research, and Austria is the only country in the world to ban experiments on lesser apes.[ citation needed ]
In 2009, Bolivia became the first country to banish animal abuse and harm in circuses. [1] The United States of America is the only country in the world that has banned killing horses for consumption,[ citation needed ] and India have banned killing cows for consumption in some of its states.[ citation needed ]
Cow is the national animal of Nepal and cow slaughter is a punishable offense as per the prevailing law.
In 2014, the Jain pilgrimage destination of Palitana City in Indian state of Gujarat became the first city in the world to be legally vegetarian. It has banned buying and selling meat, fish, and eggs, as well as related jobs, such as fishing and animal farming. [2] [3] [4] [5]
World laws on battery cages |
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World laws on beak trimming |
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World laws on chick culling |
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World laws on foie gras production |
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World laws on stunning animals during ritual slaughter |
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Legal status of whaling | ||||||||||||
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World laws on cosmetic animal testing | ||||||||||||
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Worldwide laws regarding testing cosmetics on animals
some methods of testing are excluded from the ban or the laws vary within the country |
World laws on cockfighting |
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World laws on dog fighting |
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World laws on dolphinariums / marine mammal captivity | ||||||||||||
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Laws banning the use of animals in circuses |
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World laws on goose pulling | ||||||||||||
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European Convention for the Protection of Animals during International Transport (1968 & 2003) |
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European Convention for the Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes (1976) |
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European Convention for the Protection of Animals for Slaughter (1979) |
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Berne Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (1979) |
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European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals used for Experimental and other Scientific Purposes (1986) |
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European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals (1987) |
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Country | Recognition of animal sentience | Recognition of animal suffering | Anti-cruelty laws meet OIE standards [10] | Any laws against animal cruelty | Support at the |
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Algeria [11] [12] | No | No | No | Yes -unenforced | No |
Angola [13] | No | No | No | No | No |
Argentina [14] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Australia [15] | Yes | Yes | Partial - varies internally | Yes | No |
Austria [16] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial - support from various internal departments |
Azerbaijan [17] | No | No | No | No | No |
Belarus [18] | No | No | No | No | No |
Belgium [19] [20] | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Yes | Partial - support from the Minister for Agriculture |
Bosnia and Herzegovina [21] | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Botswana [13] | No | No | No | Yes | No |
Brazil [22] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Bulgaria [19] [20] | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Yes | Partial - support from the Minister for Agriculture |
Cambodia [23] [24] | No | No | No | No | Yes |
Canada [25] | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Chile [26] | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
China [27] | No | No | No | No | No |
Colombia [28] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Costa Rica [29] [30] | No | Yes | Unknown | Yes | Yes |
Croatia [20] | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Yes | No |
Cyprus [19] [20] | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Yes | Partial - support from the Minister for Agriculture |
Czech Republic [19] [20] | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Yes | Partial - support from the Minister for Agriculture |
Democratic Republic of Congo [13] | No | No | No | No | No |
Denmark [31] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial - support from the Minister for Food |
Egypt [32] [33] [34] | No | Yes | No | Yes -unenforced | No |
Eritrea [35] | No | No | No | No | No |
Estonia [19] [20] | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Yes | Partial - support from the Minister for Agriculture |
Ethiopia [36] | No | No | No | Yes | No |
Fiji [37] [38] | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Finland [19] [20] | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Yes | Partial - support from the Minister for Agriculture |
France [39] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial - support from the Minister for Agriculture |
Germany [40] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial - support from the Minister for Agriculture |
Greece [19] [20] | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Yes | Partial - support from the Minister for Food |
Hong Kong [41] [42] | No | Yes | No | Yes | — (China responsible for foreign affairs) |
Hungary [19] [20] | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Yes | Partial - support from the Minister for Agriculture |
India [43] | No | Yes | No | Yes | Partial - support from the Animal Welfare Board |
Indonesia [44] | Partial - mental health recognized | Yes | No | Yes | Partial - support from the Minister for Agriculture |
Iran [45] | No | No | No | No | No |
Ireland [19] [20] | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Yes | Partial - support from the Minister for Agriculture |
Italy [46] | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Partial - support from the Minister for Agriculture |
Japan [47] | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Kazakhstan [48] | No | No | No | Yes | No |
Kenya [49] | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Latvia [19] [20] | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Yes | Partial - support from the Minister for Agriculture |
Lebanon [50] [51] | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Lesotho [13] | No | No | No | Yes -unenforced | No |
Lithuania [19] [20] | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Yes | Partial - support from the Minister for Agriculture |
Luxembourg [19] [20] | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Yes | Partial - support from the Minister for Agriculture |
Madagascar [13] | No | No | No | No | No |
Malawi [13] | No | Yes | No | Yes - unenforced | No |
Malaysia [52] | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Mali [53] | No | No | No | Yes | No |
Malta [19] [20] | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Yes | Partial - support from the Minister for Resources |
Mauritius [13] [54] | No | No | No | Yes | No |
Mexico [55] | Partial - varies internally | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Mongolia [56] | No | No | No | No | No |
Morocco [57] [58] | No | Yes | No | Yes -unenforced | No |
Mozambique [13] | No | No | No | No | No |
Myanmar [59] | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Namibia [13] | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
New Zealand [60] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Netherlands [61] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Niger [62] | No | Partial - domesticated animals only | No | Yes | No |
North Korea [63] | No | No | No | Yes | No |
Norway [64] | Partial - mental health recognized | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Pakistan [65] | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Paraguay [66] | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Peru [67] | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Philippines [68] [69] | Partial - mental health recognized | Yes | No | Yes | Partial - support from various internal departments |
Poland [70] | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Partial - support from the Minister for Agriculture |
Portugal [19] [20] | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Partial - support from the Minister for Agriculture |
Romania [71] | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Partial - support from the Minister for Agriculture |
Russia [72] | No | No | No | Yes | No |
Saudi Arabia [73] | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Seychelles [13] [74] | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Singapore [19] [20] | No | Yes | Unknown | Yes | Unknown |
Slovakia [19] [20] | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Yes | Partial - support from the Minister for Agriculture |
Slovenia [19] [20] | Yes | Yes | Unknown | Yes | Partial - support from the Minister for Agriculture |
South Africa [75] | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
South Korea [76] | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Spain [77] | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Partial - support from the Minister for Agriculture |
Swaziland [13] | No | Yes | No | Yes -unenforced | No |
Sweden [78] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Switzerland [79] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Tanzania [80] | Partial - some animals excluded | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Thailand [81] | No | Yes | No | Yes | Partial - support from various internal departments |
Turkey [82] | Partial - mental health recognized | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Ukraine [83] | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
United Kingdom [84] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial - support from various internal departments |
United States [85] | Partial - varies internally | Yes | Partial - varies internally | Yes | Partial - support from various internal departments |
Uruguay [86] | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Venezuela [87] | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Vietnam [88] | No | No | No | No | No |
Zambia [13] | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Zimbabwe [13] | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Foie gras ; is a specialty food product made of the liver of a duck or goose. According to French law, foie gras is defined as the liver of a duck or goose fattened by gavage.
Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse, animal neglect or animal cruelty, is the infliction of suffering or harm by humans upon non-human animals, either by omission (neglect) or by commission. More narrowly, it can be the causing of harm or suffering for specific achievements, such as killing animals for entertainment; cruelty to animals sometimes encompasses inflicting harm or suffering as an end in itself, referred to as zoosadism. Divergent approaches to laws concerning animal cruelty occur in different jurisdictions throughout the world. For example, some laws govern methods of killing animals for food, clothing, or other products, and other laws concern the keeping of animals for entertainment, education, research, or pets. There are several conceptual approaches to the issue of cruelty to animals.
Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) is a campaigning and lobbying animal welfare organisation. It campaigns against the live export of animals, certain methods of livestock slaughter, and all systems of factory farming. It has received celebrity endorsements and been recognized by BBC Radio 4 for its campaigning. It has grown to a global movement with partners and supporters concerned about the welfare of farm animals.
The Animal Protection and Rescue League (APRL) is an American grassroots animal rights organization, founded in 2003, based in California's San Diego and Orange Counties.
Some people do not eat various specific foods and beverages in conformity with various religious, cultural, legal or other societal prohibitions. Many of these prohibitions constitute taboos. Many food taboos and other prohibitions forbid the meat of a particular animal, including mammals, rodents, reptiles, amphibians, fish, molluscs, crustaceans and insects, which may relate to a disgust response being more often associated with meats than plant-based foods. Some prohibitions are specific to a particular part or excretion of an animal, while others forgo the consumption of plants or fungi.
This is a list of countries banning non-human ape experimentation. The term non-human ape here refers to all members of the superfamily Hominoidea, excluding Homo sapiens. Banning in this case refers to the enactment of formal decrees prohibiting experimentation on non-human apes, though often with exceptions for extreme scenarios.
Animal welfare and rights in Israel is about the treatment of and laws concerning nonhuman animals in Israel. Israel's major animal welfare law is the Animal Protection Law, passed in 1994, which has been amended several times since. Several other laws also related to the treatment of animals: Rabies Ordinance, 1934; Fishing Ordinance, 1937; Public Health Ordinance, 1940; Wildlife Protection Law, 1955; Plants Protection Law, 1956; Criminal Procedure Law, 1982; Animal Disease Ordinance, 1985; National Parks, Nature Reserves, National Sites and Memorial Sites Law, 1991; the Law of Veterinarians, 1991; Dog Regulation Law, 2002; Rabies Regulations (Vaccinations), 2005; and Prohibition on declawing cats unless for reasons vital to the cat's health or owner's health, 2011.
World Animal Protection, formerly The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), is an international non-profit animal welfare organization that has been in operation since 1981. The charity's mission is to create a better world for animals by protecting them.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund is an American animal law advocacy organization. Its stated mission is to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system. It accomplishes this by filing high-impact lawsuits to protect animals from harm, providing free legal assistance and training to prosecutors to assure that animal abusers are punished for their crimes, supporting tough animal protection legislation and fighting legislation harmful to animals, and providing resources and opportunities to law students and professionals to advance the emerging field of animal law. In addition to their national headquarters in Cotati, California, the Animal Legal Defense Fund maintains an office in Portland, Oregon.
Animal law is a combination of statutory and case law in which the nature – legal, social or biological – of nonhuman animals is an important factor. Animal law encompasses companion animals, wildlife, animals used in entertainment and animals raised for food and research. The emerging field of animal law is often analogized to the environmental law movement because "animal law faces many of the same legal and strategic challenges that environmental law faced in seeking to establish a more secure foothold in the United States and abroad".
Farm Sanctuary is an American animal protection organization, founded in 1986 as an advocate for farmed animals. It was America's first shelter for farmed animals. It promotes laws and policies that support animal welfare, animal protection, and veganism through rescue, education, and advocacy. Farm Sanctuary houses over 800 cows, chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, pigs, sheep, and goats at a 300+ acre animal sanctuary in Watkins Glen, New York, and more than 100 animals at its location in Acton, California, near Los Angeles.
The production of foie gras involves the controversial force-feeding of birds with more food than they would eat in the wild, and more than they would voluntarily eat domestically. The feed, usually corn boiled with fat, deposits large amounts of fat in the liver, thereby producing the fatty consistency sought by some gastronomes.
The Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare (UDAW) is a proposed inter-governmental agreement to recognise that animals are sentient, to prevent cruelty and reduce suffering, and to promote standards on the welfare of animals such as farm animals, companion animals, animals in scientific research, draught animals, wildlife and animals in recreation. The declaration has not been agreed and focus has largely shifted over to creating the more legally binding UN Convention on Animal Health and Protection (UNCAHP).
The California foie gras law or Senate Bill 1520 is a California State statute that prohibits the "force feed[ing of] a bird for the purpose of enlarging the bird's liver beyond normal size" as well as the sale of products that are a result of this process (§ 25982). This outlawed the traditional method of producing foie gras in California. The law was enacted in 2004 and went into effect on July 1, 2012. The law has been challenged repeatedly since its enactment. The ninth circuit in 2022 upheld a lower court’s 2020 ruling, which allowed residents to purchase foie gras for their individual use from out-of-state retailers.
Ryan Noah Shapiro is a doctoral student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Doctoral Program in History, Anthropology, Science, Technology, and Society (HASTS), a U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) researcher, and an advocate for animal rights.
This article is about the treatment of and laws concerning non-human animals in Australia. Australia has moderate animal protections by international standards.
Animal welfare and rights in Spain is about the treatment of and laws concerning non-human animals in Spain. Spain has moderate animal protections by international standards.
Animal welfare and rights in France is about the treatment of and laws concerning non-human animals in France. France has moderate animal welfare protections by international standards.
Animal welfare and rights in Denmark relates to the treatment of and laws concerning non-human animals in Denmark. Denmark has moderately strong protections for animals by international standards. In 2014 and again in 2020, Denmark received a B grade on the A–G scale of the World Animal Protection's Animal Protection Index.
Azerbaijan ranks fairly poorly in terms of its commitment to the protection of animal welfare and freedom from suffering. It is ranked 36th out of 50 countries on the Voiceless Animal Cruelty Index. According to the Animal Protection Index, it has not pledged support for the Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare, there is no policy or legislation in the country preventing animal suffering by deliberate acts or negligence, and there are no animal protection laws in reference to animals used in farming. The country does have legislation on the conservation of wild animals, which also apply to animals kept in confinement. It implies a duty of care, in limited situations, but its effectiveness is hard to assess.
En la actualidad, solo cinco países europeos siguen produciendo foie gras: España, Bélgica, Francia, Hungría y Bulgaria. En el resto de países de Europa, su producción ha sido ilegalizada debido a su extrema crueldad. [Currently, only five European countries still produce foie gras: Spain, Belgium, France, Hungary and Bulgaria. In the rest of the countries of Europe, its production has been outlawed due to its extreme cruelty.]