Animal Law News

Where's your country on WAP's Animal Protection Index?
World Animal Protection ("WAP") has ranked 50 countries around the globe according to their legislation and policy regarding animal protections
 
Each country has an overall score based on indicators that, in WAP's view, are "the most important aspects of animal protection". 
 
As a point of interest, and given International Animal Law's ("IAL") focus on animal law and particularly a legal reform that incorporates "positive animal welfare"...more >>

Farming methods, risks and "problematic pathogens in the future"
Overuse of antibiotics, high animal numbers and low genetic diversity caused by intensive farming techniques increase the likelihood of pathogens becoming a major public health risk, according to new research led by UK scientists.
 
An international team of researchers led by the Universities of Bath and Sheffield, investigated the evolution of Campylobacter jejuni, a bacterium carried by cattle which is the leading cause of gastroenteritis in high income countries.
 
The authors of the study suggest that changes in cattle diet,...more >>

What happens to all those animals?
Covid-related slaughterhouse shutdowns in the US are leading to fears of meat shortages and price rises, while farmers are being forced to consider “depopulating” their animals.
 
More than 20 slaughterhouses have been forced to close and at least two million animals have already reportedly been culled on farm. That number is expected to rise. 
 
It has been reported that veterinarians and government officials would be ready to assist with culls, or “depopulation”, if alternatives could not be found....more >>

Lucy's Law: Better done with an extended duty of care?
The English Government has introduced new legislation to tackle issues related to "low-welfare, high volume supply of puppies and kittens" by banning their commercial third-party sale in England.
 
‘Lucy’s Law’ means that anyone wanting to get a new puppy or kitten in England must now buy direct from a breeder, or consider adopting from a rescue centre instead. Licensed dog breeders are required to show puppies interacting with their mothers in their place of birth. If a business sells puppies or kittens without a...more >>

China reclassifies dogs as pets, not livestock

China has drawn up new guidelines to reclassify dogs as pets rather than livestock. The move is reportedly a response to the coronavirus outbreak that the Humane Society called a potential “game changer” in animal welfare.

Animals classed as "livestock" can be bred to provide food, milk, fur, fibre and medicine, or to serve the needs of sports or the military.
 
Although dog consumption has become increasingly unpopular in China, the Humane Society International, an animal welfare group, estimated that around 10 million dogs a year...more >>

Recognising the Upside of the Lockdown
Putting a "stop", or at least a "slow down", to the business-as-usual of people around the planet dramatically demonstrates the environmental carnage people cause.
 
Get onto the Internet and you can find a multitude of examples where the break from peoples activities has benefits for animal populations, and the environment. Olive Ridley sea turtles are one of those examples where their numbers might make a comeback during the time period where they are left alone and undisturbed because the usual tourist vendors and visitors are on lockdown...more >>

Preventing a pandemic: Updating the human-animal rule-book

Page 1 of the book "Animals, Welfare and the Law" states: Mentioning "mad cow disease", "foot-and-mouth disease", "bird flu", or "swine flu" is usually enough to have people agreeing that issues of animal-related disease control have a significant impact not just on the animals who suffer from the disease, but also on people and economies.

Now add COVID-19 to that list.

Unsurprisingly,animal welfare advocates across the globe point to the latest pandemic as yet another illustration and...more >>

WHO : emerging pathogens from animals to humans

What have we learned from the investigations of the first known human COVID-19 cases?

 
As soon as the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in late December 2019, investigations were conducted to understand the epidemiology of COVID-19 and the original source of the outbreak.
  • A large proportion of the initial cases in late December 2019 and early January 2020 had a direct link to the Huanan Wholesale Seafood Market in Wuhan City, where seafood, wild, and farmed animal species were sold.
  • Many of the initial patients were either stall owners...more >>

Food Safety and the Coronavirus Disease 2019

The following information is sourced from the webpage of the US Food and Drug Administration. The principles have wide application to the food industry across the planet.

Workers in the food and agriculture sector fill critical and essential roles within communities. Promoting the ability of our workers within the food and agriculture industry to continue to work during periods of community restrictions, social distances, and closure orders, among others, is crucial to community continuity and community resilience. 

 
Because the intensity of the COVID-...more >>

Caring for pets and livestock during the COVID-19 pandemic

Many governments are providing websites dealing with frequently asked questions, concerns and issues involving corona virus and animals. The information below is taken from one such website. It is recommended that people check their respective government's website for information that deals more specifically with local/national animal-related matters.

 
Can animals spread coronavirus?
Currently, there is no evidence animals (pets or livestock) can spread COVID-19 (novel coronavirus).To date, there is no evidence that...more >>

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