International Animal Welfare Perspectives, Including Whaling and Inhumane Seal Killing as a W.T.O. Public Morality Issue

Abstract

Most people consider that we have moral obligations to other people, to animals of other species and to ensuring the sustainability of production systems. A system or procedure is sustainable if it is acceptable now and if its expected future effects are acceptable, in particular in relation to resource availability, consequences of functioning and morality of action. Animal welfare affects public acceptability of animal usage systems and hence sustainability. The concept of animal product quality now includes: the health of human consumers, the welfare of animals used, environmental impact including conservation and pollution, the efficiency of usage of world food resources, the use of genetically modified organisms, ensuring fair payment for poor producers, and preserving rural communities. Consumers may refuse to buy unacceptable products and may pressurise retail companies and governments to ensure that they are not sold. Hence there must be codes or laws and inspection using, for example, animal-based welfare-outcome indicators. EFSA reports, which are commissioned before all changes in E.U. animal welfare legislation, have pioneered precise review of animal welfare issues and rigorous analysis of risks of poor welfare and benefits to good welfare. The best general laws on animal welfare include a requirement for a duty of care for the animals. Welfare is now discussed in the International Whaling Commission. The W.T.O. has rejected a challenge to the E.U. legislation that banned seal products because of inhumane killing procedures, the first time that it has accepted animal welfare as an aspect of public morality that can be grounds for trade restriction.