Animal Law News

What's behind New Zealand's most popular meat?

Here’s a couple of considerations to keep in mind as you read the article dealing with farming and “New Zealand’s most popular meat”. The key words to those considerations are “sentience”, and “balance”

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/107888831/behind-new-zealands-most-popular-meat?cid=app-android

Consideration #1: What difference would a legal definition of animal sentience have on the daily...more >>

Rodeo: Entertainment brought to you by New Zealand's sentient animal

So what are your views on rodeos? Where does it fall, for example, on that entertainment spectrum between bull-fighting and shows where animals do tricks?

Through the legal lens, there’s currently a two-part test to determine if the law protecting animals has been broken. First, has the animal experienced pain or distress? If not, then no further enquiry is warranted. But if it’s considered that the animal has indeed experienced pain or distress, then the second part of the legal test is whether or not the pain or distress was “reasonable” or “necessary...more >>

Tongue tied? One in five Australian race-horses are
The use of widespread use of tongue-ties in horse racing in Australia has come under fire.
 
Proponents of the tongue-tie – a strap that immobilises a horse’s tongue – argue that it prevents breathing issues during races, increasing performance and improves the rider’s control of the horse.
 
But there is limited data to show that tongue-ties improve racing speeds overall, and there’s mounting evidence that they can cause stress and injury. Tongue-ties are banned in most non-racing equestrian sports in...more >>

New Zealand's commitment to it's sentient animals: serious or merely symbolic?

 

spin doctor
noun: a spokesperson employed to give a favourable...more >>

What do you think about dogs on the menu? (Why?)
Indonesia announced that it is preparing a regulation to ban the trade of meat derived from pets and exotic animals, aiming to promote animal welfare and rein in disease. Unsurprisingly, the announcement was cheered by animal rights campaigners.
 
People in some parts of the Southeast Asian nation are known to consume dog meat and the government faces pressure from animal rights groups to tackle the issue.
 
Syamsu Ma’arif, director of veterinary public health at the agriculture ministry, is reported as saying“(Dog meat)...more >>

406 dead eagles for 14 days and $2,500
Animal welfare groups have criticised a two-week jail sentence imposed against a man who killed 406 wedge-tailed eagles in Victoria, Australia, as too lenient.
 
The farmhand was sentenced in the magistrates court after pleading guilty to poisoning the birds and hiding their carcases over a two-year period. He was jailed for 14 days, fined $2,500 for the destruction of protected wildlife, and the 59-year-old will also be deported back to New Zealand after his release.
 
It is the first time anyone has been jailed for that offence in...more >>

Balancing badgers on the decision-makers table
Let's face it, with technology that's available, those organisations and people who have a legal responsibility in their dealings which involve animals, shouldn't be surprised when their activities get recorded. As with most debates, there are contrasting opinions where issues of privacy are in tension with expectations regarding transparency.
 
Yet another incident utilising covert footage was published online recently and shows a method of dispatching Britain’s largest indigenous carnivore as part of a controversial cull now being expanded...more >>

Have we bred production animals "to their limit?
It's been reported that the mortality rate for female pigs in the US doubled from 5.8% to 10.2% on farms owning more than 125 sows between 2013-2016, according to an organisation that collects data across 800 companies.
 
The numbers have been linked to a troubling rise in prolapse – the collapse of the animal’s rectum, vagina, or uterus. In some cases the prolapse itself is fatal. In others the pig is euthanised as a result. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the figures reported on different farms varies considerably. According to the organisation...more >>

Police and service dogs and horses receive specific protection by law

Up until recently, it was possible for someone to claim a defence if they had harmed a service animal. The defence has been a recognised loophole in England's animal welfare legislation for quite some time.

There is an initiative, however, aptly named the Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Bill which to amend the Animal Welfare Act 2006, and would make it a specific offence to cause unnecessary suffering to an animal "under the control of the relevant officer" such as a police or prison Officer.

Those countries whose animal welfare legislation demonstrating...more >>

Legal accountability: Licensed dog breeder convicted of fraud

A licensed dog breeder who falsely sold popular dog breeds as "a front for puppy farms" has been sentenced in England.

Lisa Canning advertised dogs including a cockapoo (a cocker spaniel-poodle cross) that had no cocker spaniel in it, Cardiff Crown Court heard. Between 2016 and 2017 she operated as 4 Small Paws and made £50,000 from sales. Canning admitted four charges of fraud and one of unfair commercial practice and was given a suspended sentence.

The court heard that while she was a licensed breeder, she bred far more animals than she was permitted and...more >>

Contact Us | Disclaimer | Login 
Copyright © 2009 International Animal-Law. All Rights Reserved.