Handbook

Law plays a substantial role in the ways in which our society relates to animals. As our society increasingly accepts that the protection of animals from cruelty and other forms of mistreatment is important, the study of legal matters relating to animals, ie animal law, is important.

This course looks at the ethics and jurisprudence on the way humans think of and treat other animals, the historical and present legal status of animals, the law and science underpinning our approach to animal welfare and animal sentience, standing to represent the interest of animals, and the laws and codes of practice relating to the use of animals for food, research, and entertainment.

Main Topics

• Introduction to animal law.
• People and animals: ethics, history, law, and society.
• The status of other animals in our human legal system.
• Anti-cruelty law.
• The regulation of the use of animals for food, entertainment, and research.
• Live export. Animals in the wild.
• Companion animal laws.
• Laws relating to fishes – are there any?
• Consumer law and animal welfare.
• Plant-based diets and the law – emerging conflicts.
• Free trade constraints on animal welfare standards.
• Animal law, an international perspective.