Luxembourg, a country located in the European Union, just recently proposed a new animal law (May 2016), and once this law passes, it will make Luxembourg the most animal-friendly country in the world. The animal law was proposed by Luxembourg's Minister of Agriculture, Fernand Etgen.
WE, the animal advocates, animal activists and animal enthusiasts of the world, demand that the United States of America creates a similar animal law modeled after Luxembourg's animal law. The Luxembourg animal law states the following:
"Animals are living non-human sentient beings with a nervous system scientifically capable of feeling pain and experiencing other emotions" including "suffering and anguish," according to a ministry statement.
Although the legislation will not apply to most farm animals, it will ban slaughtering animals primarily for their fur, feathers, skin, or wool, limit the sales of dogs and cats to reputable breeders, ban people from giving animals as gifts or prizes, and prohibit the poultry industry practice of killing male chicks because they don't lay eggs.
"This act will be punishable because the animal's dignity MUST prevail over the PROFITABILITY of the industrial activity," the ministry statement said, referring to the poultry provision.
Violations will entail fines of as much as $227,000 and jail sentences from eight days to three years depending on the seriousness of the alleged cruelty and the health of victimized animals.
Etgen, the minister, said animal welfare legislation required "profound reform" because of what scientific advances had revealed about animals, and because of changes in how animals were viewed by human society. "The very definition of the animal and its needs have been amply improved," the ministry statement said.
People are becoming increasingly open to laws like the one proposed in Luxembourg in part because they are the logical next step in widespread efforts to treat all living beings and the planet more humanely. She linked animal rights to the same battles women, LGBT people, and others are waging around the world for equal rights.
When enacted, Luxembourg's law would put the grand duchy alongside Germany and the United Kingdom as countries that are most protective of animals.
United States of America, the time has come to do the right thing and make the change to protect ALL animals in your country.
