Politics and Animal Rights

Although animal welfare is already addressed in French criminal law, a change to civil law giving animals a new status is now proposed to go into effect. Animals shall now "be recognized as 'protected property', as living and sentient beings" according to a May 11 report in the French press. The new civil law amendment may go into effect by the end of the year.

However, the EU is now considering a constitution that would also cover animal welfare. If this document, which will be voted upon by referendum in France on May 29, is approved, "states are obliged to pay full regard to the requirements of animal welfare."

This is all well and good, although redundant. The mainstream media has recently been discussing the possibility that France, of all nations, may not ratify the EU constitution, for reasons that only the French can explain.

All animals should be treated with respect and their confinement conditions and their deaths should be as humane as possible. If it is necessary to make this consideration a part of both national and EU law, so be it. We just think that it is probably a redundant political move that is intended to satisfy certain social elements so they will go along with the rest of proposed legislative packages as all of Europe evolves in its own unique way. "