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Animal welfare efforts on the field typically bring rapid changes to the lives of countless directly affected animals. However, to improve the living conditions of animals in the long term, it is essential to address the existing regulatory framework. This requires precise knowledge of the legal and political possibilities. Achieving this necessitates long-term goals and significant time, as the wheels of legislation grind very slowly.
Enforcing compliance with existing laws can only be done by those who understand the legal framework. Similarly, changing a law can only be accomplished by those who engage with the political landscape and find ways to advocate for new demands.
It is a misconception to think that one is doing good for animals solely by adhering to existing animal welfare laws. It must be remembered: an animal welfare law merely establishes the boundary set by lawmakers for punishable animal cruelty, indicating when a society believes that the threshold of acceptable suffering and pain for animals has definitely been exceeded. Animal welfare laws do not describe what constitutes appropriate animal keeping, transportation, or handling. Those who only comply with animal welfare laws are, at best, simply not committing a crime according to current standards. However, this does not mean that the animals are necessarily well-treated!
It’s bad enough that existing laws are regularly broken and enforcement is negligent or nonexistent.
It is the responsibility of lawmakers to protect animals to the best of their ability through the existing legal framework. Authorities must verify compliance with the law and ensure its enforcement. Immediate action must be taken in the event of legal violations, and enforcement must be carried out with necessary severity. There is a significant need for action in all countries, both in enforcement and legislation. Therefore, we collaborate with authorities and politicians who support our concerns, both in Switzerland and internationally.
We always work on behalf of the animals and also address the legal and political possibilities, even though this often entails long-term and arduous work.
