Global Animal Law Research

This open access book contains 13 contributions on global animal law, preceded by an introduction which explains key concepts and methods. Global Animal Law refers to the sum of legal rules and principles (both state-made and non-state-made) governing the interaction between humans and other animals, on a domestic, local, regional, and international level. Global animal law is the response to the mismatch between almost exclusively national animal-related legislation on the one hand, and the global dimension of the animal issue on the other hand. The chapters lay some historical foundations in the ius naturae et gentium, examine various aspects of how national and international law traditionally deals with animals as commodity; and finally suggest new legal concepts and protective strategies. The book shows numerous entry points for animal issues in international law and at the same time shifts the focus and scope of inquiry.

"Across the globe, legal protection of animal rights continues to be a significant problem, and the level of protection varies dramatically among countries. Yet, no treatise has compiled resources and strategies on how to research these critical topics at both a domestic and international level. The purpose of this book is to fill the gap. Featuring 12 research experts specializing in U.S., foreign, international, and comparative law research, Global Animal Law Research collects these experts' perspectives, knowledge, and experiences researching various animal rights and welfare topics. The chapters in this book identify, discuss, and analyze research resources, strategies, and current and emerging legal frameworks on animal rights and welfare in the laws of more than 15 countries across five continents. In addition, this book touches on a diverse set of research methods in both common law and civil law legal systems, including regulatory research, legislative research, statutory research, case law research, international agreement research, and comparative law research. Each chapter focuses on an a singular, important, and well-defined legal topic, identifying unique problems within that topic and exploring practical yet effective approaches to address these problems. With its detailed exploration of the otherwise unexplored process of researching animal law, this book will benefit a global audience of faculty and students in law schools with active animal law programs; animal law practitioners; animal law policy groups and advocates; and international animal law interest groups and organizations"--

This book focuses on animal laws and animal welfare in major jurisdictions in the world, including the more developed legal regimes for animal protection of the US, UK, Australia, the EU and Israel, and the regulatory regimes still developing in China, South Africa, and Brazil. It offers in-depth analyses and discussions of topical and important issues in animal laws and animal welfare, and provides a comprehensive and comparative snapshot of some of the most important countries in the world in terms of animal population and worsening animal cruelty. Among the issues discussed are international law topics that relate to animals, including the latest WTO ruling on seal products and the EU ban, the Blackfish story and US law for cetaceans, the wildlife trafficking and crimes related to Africa and China, and historical and current animal protection laws in the UK and Australia. Bringing together the disciplines of animal law and animal welfare science as well as ethics and criminology with contributions from some of the most prominent animal welfare scientists and animal law scholars in the world, the book considers the strengths and failings of existing animal protection law in different parts of the world. In doing so it draws more attention to animal protection as a moral and legal imperative and to crimes against animals as a serious crime.

Chapter I. Animals : a topic for international law --Chapter II. An overview of international rules on animals --Chapter III. The International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling : dead or alive? --Chapter IV. Farm animals in the law of the European Union --Chapter V. Animals in international trade law --Chapter VI. Animals in the law of armed conflict --Chapter VII. Towards international animal rights --Chapter VIII. Towards a global animal protection law.

This open access book contains 13 contributions on global animal law, preceded by an introduction which explains key concepts and methods. Global Animal Law refers to the sum of legal rules and principles (both state-made and non-state-made) governing the interaction between humans and other animals, on a domestic, local, regional, and international level. Global animal law is the response to the mismatch between almost exclusively national animal-related legislation on the one hand, and the global dimension of the animal issue on the other hand. The chapters lay some historical foundations in the ius naturae et gentium, examine various aspects of how national and international law traditionally deals with animals as commodity; and finally suggest new legal concepts and protective strategies. The book shows numerous entry points for animal issues in international law and at the same time shifts the focus and scope of inquiry. This work was published by Saint Philip Street Press pursuant to a Creative Commons license permitting commercial use. All rights not granted by the work's license are retained by the author or authors.

This edited volume by Professor Randall S. Abate of Florida A&M University College of Law presents a collection of 17 chapters in an attempt to fill the gap - as illustrated above - between the complex legal issues that matter most to environmental law and animal law movements. Environmental law has a longer history and is more established than its animal law counterpart with intricate layers of international, federal, state, and local laws. Animal law currently faces many of the legal and strategic challenges that environmental law faced in seeking to establish a more secure foothold in U.S. and international law and, as such, stands to gain valuable insights from the lessons of the environmental law movement¿s experience in confronting those challenges. These chapters compare the very different trajectories of the regulatory history of both movements, examining the legal intersections that may exist across them. Prof. Abate draws on the talents of 22 experts in their fields from academia, non-profits, and the legal profession to examine the ways in which animal rights and welfare law can benefit from environmental law. The chapters address various contexts and perspectives from U.S. law, foreign domestic law, and international law on substantive issues including climate change, international trade and the environment, concentrated animal feeding operations, invasive species, lead pollution, and fisheries management, and procedural issues including standing and damages. The book concludes with two chapters that offer a vision for the future regarding how animal law can learn from environmental law and how the two movements can better coordinate their common objectives.

This thought-provoking book examines the rise of animal welfare as a serious policy concern in the international trade law regime. The central focus is an in-depth study of the background and legal analysis of the landmark EC – Seal Products case, which confirmed the importance of animal welfare in WTO law. The book explores how the WTO handled the relationship between trade disciplines and animal welfare, including the particularly challenging questions around Indigenous seal hunting rights. It offers a detailed account of animal welfare and animal conservation commitments in new trade agreements, as well as mechanisms for enforcement, cooperation, and citizen participation.

This book critically engages the emerging field of global animal law from the perspective of an intersectional ethical framework. Reconceptualising global animal law, this book argues that global animal law overrepresents views from the west as it does not sufficiently engage views from the Global South, as well as from Indigenous and other marginalised communities. Tracing this imbalance to the early development of animal law’s reaction to issues of international trade, the book elicits the anthropocentrism and colonialism that underpin this bias. In response, the book outlines a new, intersectional, second wave of animal ethics. Incorporating marginalised viewpoints, it elevates the field beyond the dominant concern with animal welfare and rights. And, drawing on aspects of decolonial thought, earth jurisprudence, intersectionality theory and posthumanism, it offers a fundamental rethinking of the very basis of global animal law. The book's critical, yet practical, new approach to global animal law will appeal to animal law and environmental law experts, legal theorists, and those working in the areas of animal studies and ecology.