Animal Cruelty Laws Of The European Union And The US

Animal cruelty laws vary from nation to nation. However, the one constant is the desire by people all over the globe to actively fight against the inhumane treatment of animals. To love animals of all types is to protect them, yet this has proven to be a larger job than many ever expected. Thanks to organizations around the globe, animal laws have been put in place to protect these defenseless creatures from harm.

Unlike the United States, Europe has a union of many different  nations that have established certain animal cruelty laws. These laws can include jail time for the human perpetrator if an animal is hurt, abused, neglected, or if an illegal puppy mill is found in operation. One of the most stringent laws in their treaty is that no one shall abandon a companion animal. This can carry severe consequences. The United States has left the governing of the animal laws up to the individual states; therefore, the punishments vary greatly from state to state.

Farm animals are also covered by the animal laws that the European Union has set forth. When it comes to farm animals, the transport and slaughter of these animals in the EU is much more progressive and stricter than in the United States. They rarely have issues, whereas the US is consistently in the news for unethical treatment of a variety of animals waiting for slaughter.

The main difference between the animal cruelty laws of the European Union and the United States is that the EU sees animals as having inherent value. The United States still believes that the animals they should be protecting are property and not living entities. The US has to fight animal abuse on a greater scale than their European counterparts because of the inability of the US laws to protect the animals that need it most.