China completes draft animal welfare legislation

[Guest guest]

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 2009:

 

 

China completes draft animal welfare legislation

 

BEIJING, MOSCOW-- China on July 7, 2009 announced the

completion of a draft national animal welfare law. To be published

for public comment in August 2009, " The proposed draft clearly

delineates how animals should be raised, transported, and

slaughtered, " reported China Central Television, the state

broadcasting company. " It also calls for penalties and criminal

punishment for animal abuse. The draft law covers wildlife, farm

and companion animals. "

" Severe violators could be sent to prison, while lighter

punishments would include fines and detention of fewer than 15 days, "

elaborated a report in the English-language Global Times.

" Animals have the right not to be scared, hurt, or killed

by human beings, " said Chinese Academy of Social Sciences social

law research director Chang Jiwen. " Our motivation is to protect

animals, while at the same time protecting the sensibilities and

interests of humans. We should treat animals humanely. But that

doesn't mean we cannot make use of them. "

Elaborated CCTV, " Currently only endangered animals are

protected. No existing law addresses animal welfare systematically.

A comprehensive animal protection law is considered imperative as

cases of animal abuse are on the rise. In June 2009 at least 30,000

dogs were culled in Hanzhong, Shaanxi province, following a rabies

outbreak which caused 12 human deaths. The cull has triggered harsh

criticism from the public.

" A recent survey carried out by the Internet portal Sina.com

shows 89% of more than 63,000 people surveyed support the

legislation, " CCTV continued.

" The draft law will be submitted to the National People's

Congress by the end of the year, " said CCTV. " The draft must go

through the State Council and receive three readings from the

National Party Congress Standing Committee before being adopted as

law. "

Whether the draft law will address cruelties associated with

eating cats, dogs, and wildlife was not discussed in the

preliminary coverage, but twice in the first two weeks of August

police and other public officials in the Shanghai region reportedly

assisted rescuers who stopped trucks and saved allegedly stolen cats

from transport to live markets in Guangdong.

The Guangdong region, south of Shanghai, is the only part

of China where cats are commonly eaten, and as much as 80% of

Chinese dog and wildlife consumption also occurs there.

People 4 Chinese Animals issued a public thanks to five law

enforcement agencies for their assistance in arranging ransom for as

many as 2,000 cats.

Similar incidents, occurring in southern China for the past

two years, are believed to hint that the Beijing government is fed

up with the more notorious Guangdong practices. Beijing has also

repeatedly reinforced regulation of commerce in birds and reptiles,

conducted mainly in the south, and of live poultry markets,

implicated in frequent disease outbreaks during the past dozen years.

Frustrated Russian animal advocates could only envy the

Chinese progress. " Hopes that Russia might at long last pass an

animal protection law were dashed on June 5, 2009, Environmental

Protection Day, " VITA president Irina Novozhilova told ANIMAL

PEOPLE. " Animal welfare was supposed to be the theme of a conference

scheduled for that day at the State Duma [parliament] under the title

'Humane attitudes to animals: a moral necessity for civil society,'

but on arrival animal activists were dumbfounded to read in the

official handout that [the participating elected officials] had

withdrawn demands for a comprehensive animal protection law, asking

merely that the government improve the existing legislation dating

from Soviet times.

" For more than a decade VITA in collaboration with other

Russian animal protection organisations has been battling for a

federal law to protect animals from cruel treatment, " Novozhilova

continued. " A draft law, the work of Tatyana Pavlova, " who died in

2007, " in the 1990s passed three readings in the Duma. There was

optimism that Presi-dent Boris Yeltsin would sign it into law early

in 2000. Unluckily for billions of animals, Yeltsin resigned, and

one of the first actions of his successor, Vladimir Putin, was to

send the draft law back for revision. The draft remained in limbo

until March 2008, when it was removed from the Duma's legislative

agenda. "

 

 

 

--

Merritt Clifton

Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE

P.O. Box 960

Clinton, WA 98236

 

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Fax: 360-579-2575

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[Guest guest]

Recently China has announced the completion of a draft national animal welfare

law according to the article posted by Animal People as of August 22. The

regulation of China will influence not only on the prevention of notorious

cruelty of animals in China. Would anybody introduce the draft of Chinese animal

welfare law? Could anybody send me the draft of the animal welfare law. What

are shortcoming of draft animal welfare law?

We animal groups in Asia need to support and influence the legislation process

in China as we consider the serious animals welfare issues in China.

 

A few animal groups in South Korea are interested to support the appropriate

legislation of animal welfare law in China.

 

Regards,

 

Changkill Park

 

Voice4animals, South Korea.

 

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