2024-08-29 16:41:26
In response to the decision of the National Assembly’s Biodiversity Commission to unify the various bills on animal protection and welfare, associations, professional associations, researchers, chambers and productive sectors have expressed their support.
The structuring of the draft Organic Law for the Protection and Defense of Animal Rights has been welcomed by these groups.
From the beginning, the Ecuadorian food sector expressed its disagreement with the arbitrary positions that marginalized key actors in the processing of the law, including tourism, culture, public health, the economy, food sovereignty, scientific research and trade. In addition, they criticized the predominance of animal rights criteria and the imposition of a project without consultation by the Ombudsman’s Office.
The Biodiversity Commission has worked on a more comprehensive proposal that considers animals as individuals with the capacity for sentience, but without equating them with humans. The principle of ecological interpretation and the human right to food have been incorporated, respecting biological interactions between species.
The project properly classifies animals and defines the system of competences between levels of government for their regulation and control. It also emphasizes the restoration of ecosystems and guarantees animals a life free of violence and cruelty.
The productive sector, academia and other organizations call on citizens to remain alert to the evolution of this legislative process, which must balance respect for animal rights with food security, the fight against child malnutrition, job creation, legal security and the cultural identity of the nation.