Government Structures
Committees/Councils
Consultation
Openness and Transparency
Procedures

Government Structures

Government structures set up to deal with animal protection matters are a great indicator of the political importance of animal protection in the country in question. They can also greatly influence the strength with which animal protection matters are pursued.

As regards government departments involved with animal protection, this can vary greatly. The best option would be to have a separate Government Ministry dealing with animal protection matters. If this is not possible at this stage, a separate Department within a sympathetic Ministry would be the next best option. An example of this is in India, where Minister Maneka Gandhi has established an animal welfare department within her Ministry of Welfare.

The desire to create an independent animal welfare department has been Ms. Gandhi's first ambition since entering politics. She would like to bring together all the animal-related inspection service in one branch of government that would answer to no other (possibly with conflicting objectives) and enforce the recommendations of the Indian Animal Welfare Board vigorously.

If animal welfare is dealt with in a Ministry with conflicting objectives (such as Agriculture), then animal protection objectives can take second place. Even worse, is to have no separate department or unit dealing with animal protection matters (as this means no thorough or uniform approach to animal issues). Widely sympathetic departments, such as Environment would be preferable.

Committees/Councils

Government advisory committees can play a significant role in improving government feedback and expert advice in animal protection matters. The role and scope can vary greatly from being a committee dealing with all aspects of animal protection (every subject area and both ethical and practical/enforcement issues - as in the Czech Republic) to a committee with more specific scope (such as an ethical committee concerned with biotechnology).

The best arrangement will depend on the country's legislative and enforcement structure. However, if a country does decide to have just one advisory committee covering all areas of animal protection, then it is important that it is broken down into small sub-groups, each containing a wide range of expertise in the relevant subject area.

Advisory committees should not merely consist of representatives from the 'Animal Use' industries. A proper balance between animal protection, animal use and neutral government and scientific representation is important.

In some countries (and the EU) there can be too many committees involved with animal protection issues - leading to confusion, dissolution of effort and, in some cases, committees with insufficient expertise considering matters of animal ethics/welfare. Also, some general ethical committees may take a more 'humanists' approach and give low priority to animal protection matters. In general, a broad-ranging and powerful animal protection committee is preferable.

The remit of such a committee could include:

• New issues of concern in/to the animal protection field
• Beneficial developments in/to the animal protection field
• New and relevant animal welfare science/research
• Problems with existing laws and enforcement
• New legislation or amendments needed
• Further research needed
• Further educational initiatives needed
• Relevant issues of 'openness of government'

Considerations of major interest to animal protection societies include:

• Independence and influence (including ability to publish open reports - including minority reports)
• Representation (need for adequate animal protection representatives - of various opinions i.e. animal rights & animal welfare - and other relevant experts, such as veterinarians, animal behaviorists, ethicists, biologists, zoologists etc.). Appointments usually on personal basis.
• Access to all government information and statistics.

Within the European Union (EU), there is also a need for coordination of the various national animal protection committees - possibly by an animal protection committee at EU level. The UK (particularly the UK's Farm Animal Welfare Committee) has tried to encourage moves towards coordinated and exchange of information and resources at EU level, but with limited results so far.

Consultation

Animal protection groups should press for full and open consultation on all matters affecting - or likely to affect - animal protection. In particular:

• Full consultation of animal protection groups on same basis as industry
• Representation at all consultation meetings
• Written consultation - with results published (transparency)

Openness and Transparency

Animal protection groups should also press for full openness and 'transparency' in government processes. In particular:

• Access to all documents/reports
• Access to meetings and minutes
• Access to civil servants/legislators
• Freedom of Information Act

Procedures

Animal protection groups should ensure that their government has satisfactory procedures in place to deal in a practical and foolproof manner with any animal protection matters. Do they, for example, have a system, for identifying any animal protection implications arising from proposed new legislation or administrative actions? This is particularly important if your country has a constitutional obligation to protect animals. Without adequate procedures, the government may itself be in breach of the constitution!

The same will apply to the European Union, with regard to its Protocol to the EU's founding Treaty, which covers animal welfare (and this has been taken into the EU's draft constitution).

In the environmental field, environmental impact is routinely assessed using procedural devices such as 'environmental impact assessments'. This is a 'fail-safe' device to ensure that environmental implications are routinely considered by government legislators and administrators. Animal protection societies could call for similar treatment - requiring an 'animal welfare impact assessment' - to ensure full consideration of proposed measures on animal protection.