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Rabbit Advocacy Animal Matters
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WTO is Biggest Threat to Global Progress on
Animal Welfare The World Trade Organization is blocking attempts to improve animal welfare laws around the globe. Their free trade rules prevent countries and groups from banning imports based on ethical grounds, making it impossible for WTO members to have any authority on the animal welfare issues connected with imported goods. Insisting that free trade must take precedence over any areas of public policy such as animal protection makes this worldwide treaty (General Treaty on Tariffs and Trade) a huge problem when it comes to taking a stand against animal cruelty. WTO Import Laws Making Almost Impossible to Stamp out Cruelty The free-trade laws implemented by the WTO prevent countries and groups such as the EU from placing a ban on imported products due to animal protection policies, making new animal welfare legislation an extremely grey area. An example of this is the EU law which was introduced to ban the use of leghold traps in fur production. This law has been largely abandoned in many areas for fear of breaching WTO rules on fur imports. The United States banned tuna imports where the practice of dolphin trapping had been employed to catch the fish, though this was later ruled an illegal ban by the WTO due to free trade laws. Similarly, the ongoing cosmetic animal testing ban in the EU has been plagued with legal issues, making it extremely difficult for the EU to place an outright ban on the creation and import of animal tested cosmetics. In order to get around the WTO rules, numerous loopholes had to be created, a situation which creates endless legal battles and delays, resulting in more misery and death for the animals who are in need of better protection. Farm Animals Suffering Because of WTO rules Despite the fact that WTO rules do not prevent countries from improving their animal welfare laws, they do create a barrier to a global animal protection progress. The EU have recently banned the use of battery cages for egg laying hens, however, they cannot ban the import of battery eggs as this contravenes WTO rules. It is effectively preventing governments from being able to completely ban the sale of products it deems unethical, and helping to sustain practices which are inherently cruel and inhumane. In a globalized world, it doesn’t matter to many retailers or consumers where the products are coming from, so long as the price is right. This means that while we fight to improve conditions for animals being raised and killed on home soil, any victories are largely cancelled out by the ability to import similarly cruel products to take their place. Countries may be deterred from improving animal welfare laws for fear that the increased cost of care may harm their own farmers in the market place. All of these issues are constantly pulling us back from forward thinking attitudes on animal rights. WTO Rules Must Be Challenged Last year the EU won a ruling which restricted the import of products coming from commercial seal hunts in a landmark case. The case has opened the door for progress, but as of yet, the WTO rules still have not been altered to make it acceptable to ban imports based on animal welfare issues. Masquerading as a harmless trade treaty, the WTO has a chilling impact on the enforcement of laws that are put in place to protect animals. The WTO refuses to allow countries to ban imports based on the way in which they are produced, something which must be changed if we are to start setting global standards on the way in which animals are treated. While our ultimate goal must be to end all animal exploitation, suffering and death, we need to provide increasing levels of welfare and protection for animals in the system right now. The only way to set higher world standards for animal care is to allow countries to set import regulations to match their own ethical values, forcing other countries to measure up to these higher standards too. |