Animal Law News
Argentina strikes back at U.S. in WTO beef row
Argentina has accused the United States of unfairly blocking imports of Argentine beef , ratcheting up trade tensions with its large neighbor to the north. The South American country is the world's third largest exporter of beef after Brazil and Australia. However, Argentina alleges it has been shut out of the United States for years because of restrictions imposed by Washington to block the spread of foot-and-mouth disease in cattle.
International Animal-Law Newsletter August 2012
In the International Animal Law (IAL) update there is a brief summary of some of the news items posted on IAL within the last few months
20,000 sheep in the middle of the sea and political posturing
A ship carrying over 20,000 heads of Australian sheep was turned away after it was found carrying infected animals. Deputy Chairman of Muharraq Municipal Council, Ali Muqla said that some of the sheep examined were found to be infected with Orf also known as Soremouth. "Some" sheep is clearly non-specific, and alarmist comments about the disease (known as scabby mouth) have raised questions about the liklihood of underlying political agendas being the "real reason" for refusing to accept the sheep.
Animal welfare red tape will turn markets away from Australia
A Western Australia pastoralist believes Australia's new animal welfare regulations are more detrimental to the live export trade than any campaign waged against the industry by animal rights groups. It's claimed that the rules, regulations and paperwork associated with the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System, or ESCAS, will encourage markets to look elsewhere for their livestock.
...more >>Pets in Wills (United States)
Animal law constitutes one of the fastest-growing "new" legal specialties. Ensuring that pets are properly cared for following the death of owners/persons in charge is one of the areas addressed by legal specialists of animal law.
Understanding the Common Agricultural Policy
Can another book on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) still be worth reading? The well-known CAP books by Fennell, Ritson and Harvey, and Grant and Ackrill were all published more than 10 years ago: so an update in the UK is not superfluous. Hill's book appeared in November 2011, although the publisher has dated it 2012. It has an unusual structure and is written in an easy, readable style. Nearly all chapter titles start with ‘Understanding’. The author is worried that students read quickly outdated reports, web sites and overviews and advises them to read this book.
...more >>Egyptian cattle freeze
The owner of a shipment of Australian cattle that has been held from slaughter in Egypt due to the presence of hormone growth promotants (HGPs) says the issue should be relatively straight-forward to solve - provided the Australian Government can work quickly to assure its Egyptian counterparts that HGPs pose no risk to human health.
Cross-bred snakes euthanased (Australia)
Twenty snakes have been euthanased after they were found to be a hybrid of two native species.Environment officials in Adelaide say the snakes were advertised for sale by a licensed breeder and were found to be a cross between Bredi pythons and coastal carpet pythons.
New horse code of practice (Australia) demonstrates evolving consideration to animal welfare
The Victorian Coalition Government is strengthening horse welfare standards by introducing a new code of practice to provide greater guidance on the standard of care expected of owners. The move demonstrates that animal welfare standards are being actively reconsidered and evolving. The updated code is intended as a tool for horse owners and has been developed following extensive consultation with the equine industry, the government's Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, and the RSPCA.
Cloned horses no longer banned from competing internationally (FEI)
A decision by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) to ban cloned horses from international competition has been reversed. FEI previously said cloned animals would be banned from international competition and that cloning went "against its objective," to enable FEI athletes to compete in international events under fair and even conditions.Many in the industry reportedly felt FEI's stance was not enforceable on the grounds that many of the world's greatest competition horses were not DNA tested.
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