What's the cost of working with outdated animal law?
For 200 years, people via their law have taken responsibility to protect animals from experiencing unnecessary pain (‘cruelty’). But pain is only half of the animal’s life experience. For animals, just like people, a good life means more than simply avoiding pain. It also means experiencing ‘good things’ like comfort, interest and pleasure.
Baseline minimum standards that are ‘lawful’ under anti-cruelty law, endorse and perpetuate many attitudes, behaviours and practices that observably contribute to massive modern-day societal and environmental animal-related issues. By continuing our current practices, we’re all on a ‘the race to the bottom’.
The collective outcome of issues like biodiversity loss, unsustainable practices, antimicrobial resistance (‘AMR’), and climate change are predicted to be worse than any global pandemic for animals, for us and our children, and for our shared global environment, for generations to come.
Modern animal law does more than just protect animals from cruelty.
Animal welfare law is a cornerstone consideration for animal-related programs, governance and goals because people's attitudes and behaviours involving animals underpin major national and international issues.
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In addition to legally recognising the inherent value of animals, the subject of animal law deals with legal governance of the human-animal relationship.
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For the last 200 years, animal law has applied a legal responsibility for just half of the animal's life experience (‘anti-cruelty), specifically, its suffering (‘negative states’).
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The inseparable nature of the human-animal relationship means that the ‘half’ duty of care within the anti-cruelty model of animal law has substantive detrimental and limiting consequences for animals and people.​
There's an inseparable relationship between people, animals, and our shared environment.
In addition to public animal-related interests involving animal welfare, biosecurity and food safety, there are 'private' animal-related issues such as bullying, and the cost and incidence of domestic violence. Internationally, governance of the human-animal relationship is a key consideration to issues facing the global community and each nation's promises involving climate change, biodiversity loss, antimicrobial resistance, and sustainability.
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The high stakes and outcomes associated with the duty of care established within animal law have resulted in a recognised need nationally and internationally to ‘elevate standards of animal welfare’. Consideration regarding how to elevate standards of animal welfare has prompted discussions about animal ‘sentience’ by multiple stakeholders from around the world.
ALL stakeholders benefit
1
Ecosystem
Health
Healthy animals are essential to maintaining balanced ecosystems. Positive welfare practices ensure that animals can perform their natural roles in the environment, which in turn supports biodiversity and the resilience of ecosystems. This balance is critical for the health of our planet and for human survival.
2
Human Health
& Safety
There is a direct link between animal welfare and human health. Poor welfare conditions, such as those in factory farms or illegal wildlife trade, can lead to the spread of zoonotic diseases, which jump from animals to humans. Ensuring positive animal welfare reduces the risk of pandemics and other health crises.
3
Economic Stability
Agriculture, tourism, and other industries rely on healthy animal populations. Positive animal welfare practices lead to more sustainable and productive systems, which in turn support global economies. Ethical treatment of animals can also enhance brand reputation and consumer trust, leading to economic benefits.
4
Societal
Impact
The way we treat animals reflects our values as a society. Positive animal welfare promotes compassion, empathy, and respect, which can extend to how we treat each other. By prioritizing animal welfare, we contribute to a more humane and just world.
5
Ethical Responsibility
As stewards of the planet, we have a moral duty to ensure that animals are treated with dignity and respect. Positive animal welfare reflects our commitment to ethical treatment, recognising that animals are sentient beings capable of experiencing pain, fear, and pleasure.
6
Global Cooperation
Promoting positive animal welfare requires international collaboration and shared values. This fosters global cooperation, encouraging countries to work together on broader issues like climate change, environmental protection, and human rights. It creates a sense of shared responsibility and helps build a more compassionate world.
Animals 'AND' us: What affects animals, affects people
This is true for everything from our emotional connections through to our economic, environmental, and societal dependence on animals.
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Since 1970, there has been a 68% drop in the biodiversity of mammal, bird, fish, reptile and amphibian populations. Biological diversity links all organisms within the global ecosystem so biodiversity loss means we’re all at increased risk of pests, disease, and pandemics.
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The excessive and inappropriate use of antimicrobials in animal production systems means we are facing a future where antimicrobial resistance risks taking us back to the days of 1917 where people could lose life and limbs from secondary infections from even small cuts.
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Current animal practices that are ‘ lawful’ under anticruelty’s baseline minimum standards contribute significantly (16-40%) to greenhouse gases and climate change.
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This means that animal law involves issues where the stakes are high – very high – not just for animals but also for people. Putting that another way, questions about a sustainable future and quality of life need a shift in thinking – away from believing it’s a case of animals ‘or’ people, toward realization that we’re in a situation that involves animals ‘and’ people.
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There are also 'private' animal-related issues. The treatment of animals is directly related to issues such as bullying and the cost and incidence of domestic violence.
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The lowest common denominator of responsibility established under anti cruelty law has relevance to the enormous amount of research validating that how we treat animals affects how we treat other people, and the shared ‘home’ that we call our planet.
The reform advocated by the SAL Foundation evolves attitudes, behaviours and outcomes from baseline minimums to balanced whole-of-system standards. The reform means today’s standards of best practice that are already being implemented by 7% of people and producers, become tomorrow’s norm. In schools, workplaces, industries and our communities, the new social licence is ‘be kind’ rather than simply ‘don’t be cruel’.
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Imagine a world where the focus is to 'be kind' rather than simply 'don't be cruel"
A definition of sentience that clearly extends the current duty of care to include a responsibility on the human caregiver to provide animals in their care with opportunities to experience positive states (“positive animal welfare law”) would result in a legal framework that:
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supports and expands the higher practice standards already being implemented by better farmers/animal owners; and
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fosters the trust of the public/consumers in industry which, in turn
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creates trade opportunities for industry within, and beyond, the jurisdiction.
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Drafting animal welfare legislation so that the jurisdiction is among the first to have law that is the next step in the evolution of animal law, not only demonstrates genuine progressive leadership to the national and international community, but also futureproofs that jurisdiction's position in meeting growing community and global demand for more than simply protection from cruelty for law-and-society's “sentient” animal.
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Got questions? We'd be delighted to demonstrate why positive animal welfare law is a quicker, easier and more efficient way to deliver pragmatic changes to the daily lives of animals and people, and assist initiatives seeking to resolve global issues, than any other proposed model of law reform.​