Matters that aren't described
in the law, you cannot plead for. Although the spirit
of the law indicates that we have to treat animals well,
the practices in industrial farming are not prohibited.
In practice cattle farmers may treat animals as if they
were things, as long as they live up to legal regulations
and keep away from (gross) neglect of an animal.
The contemporary law is
not suitable to guarantee animal
rights. The law is just running behind developments
within farming. In the past one could not foresee that
nowadays we would keep such large quantities of farm
animals in only so little space. What has been passed
into law, is that animals have an intrinsic
value. However, this has not yet led to actions
that improve the animal's well-being. |
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What has to be done, is that
animals too are granted basic rights: just
as human beings.
This basic right can very well be the same right as goes
for humans, namely the right to freedom
(to be able to behave in the natural ways that belong
to the species).
Until this right is established, it makes little sense
to make an appeal on laws in order to protect the interests
of animals.
That very same, malfunctioning law is by the way meanwhile
exploited by the pig breeders and the breeders of furry
animals, in an attempt to stretch the days of their
trade. Hopefully politically-aware Dutch citizens will,
together with the legislature, wake up in time to put
an end to this shortcoming and join forces to develop
a law that banishes and prevents from modern
excesses in farming. |
Rattling the Cage: Toward Legal Rights
for Animals
by Jane Goodall (Foreword), Steven M. Wise |
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