Animal Law News

How can we stop puppies and kittens being bred for their looks?

TradeMe announced that it would ban the sale of pugs, French bulldogs, and British bulldogs from its website. Veterinarian and New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) companion animal spokesperson Rochelle Ferguson looks at the state of cat and dog breeding welfare in New Zealand and what can be done to improve it....more >>

Boiling lobsters and crabs ‘should be banned’ says Crustacean Compassion

More than 50 high-profile campaigners have signed a letter to Michael Gove, the environment secretary, calling on him to recognise the crustaceans as animals. Under current Animal Welfare laws in Britain, decapod crustaceans aren’t classed as animals and therefore aren’t covered by the Animal Welfare Act.

Studies have...more >>

Breeding and selling companion animals 'largely unregulated' in NZ

The breeding, buying and selling of puppies and kittens is largely unregulated in New Zealand, animal welfare groups say.

New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) chief veterinary officer Dr Helen Beattie said "irresponsible breeders continue to prosper" behind a lack of regulation, the ability to sell animals via third parties, and the general public's lack of awareness on the issue.

"No regulatory bodies will check that these breeders are knowledgeable about animal health and breeding practices and nobody will ensure they have the necessary facilities to...more >>

So, what do you think about rodeos?

Rodeo events include calf-roping, steer wrestling and bull riding, all of which rely on inflicting pain and fear in animals to get them to perform. Rodeos contain deliberate cruelty, such as using electric prods and rope burning, but they also rely on inherent cruelty by exposing animals to rougher behaviour than they'd ever experience on a farm or props such as flank straps provoking distress.

A rodeo featuring a bull quietly chewing its cud, as it would on a farm, wouldn't be fun to watch so a variety of means are employed to make the animals run, jump and buck.

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A “cavalier” attempt to recognise animal sentience in law

MPs ordered Michael Gove back to the drawing board yesterday over a “cavalier” attempt to recognise animal sentience in law. They said that his vague and ambiguous animal welfare bill would open every government policy to judicial review. 

A cross-party group of MPs applauded the bill’s provisions to increase the maximum punishment for animal cruelty from six months to five years....more >>

Getting "smart" about greyhound racing in New Zealand

Almost everyone knows about the "smart" acronym which sets out that objectives should be "specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound". Now apply that smart acronym to the recent "greyhound report" which the New Zealand government, via its Racing Minister (Winston Peters) has described as "disturbing"....more >>

Looking to 2018

2017 has seen International Animal Law (“IAL”), as part of the registered charity "Animal Law Matters", implementing key education programs promoting legislative development in a manner that results in realistic shifts that benefit not only the daily lives of animals but also the well-being of people and our shared environment.

The highlight of IAL’s 2017 was the “sentience seminar series” which brought together a vast spectrum of animal professionals who kindly gave their...more >>

Have you heard about GAL?

The goal and aim of the Global Animal Law (“GAL”)  Project is to help and create a new framework for the global discussion on animals in law.

 

The GAL MATRIX has therefore been created. It contains proposals regarding what GAL Directors consider to be “what can and should be” in terms of animal law. GAL focuses on subjects of law adoption, enforcement, improvement and education. GAL considers that the matrix has benefits in being adopted locally and internationally, and take a perspective that extend from the short term to

Read more...more >>

Proposed poultry standards leave Australia trailing behind other industrialised countries
Battery cages will not be phased out of Australia’s chicken farms, according to a draft of industry guidelines released this week.
 
The proposed Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Poultry, currently open for public consultation, will if approved form the basis of federal and state legislation on poultry welfare.
 
A supporting paper to the standards argues that extra cage space does not guarantee better welfare for hens. Further, it claims that battery cages allow better inspection and more efficient...more >>

I'm a convicted terrorist

People usually laugh when I tell them I am a convicted terrorist.

I try not to open with that – it seems a little bit forward. First, I explain how my friend Tyler and I entered a fur farm in the dead of night. I describe the...more >>