Animal welfare and rights in Brazil
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welfare Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specificall ...
and
rights Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical the ...
in
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
is about the laws concerning and treatment of non-human animals in Brazil. Brazil is a leading producer of animal products, and its allowance of
intensive animal farming Intensive animal farming or industrial livestock production, also known by its opponents as factory farming and macro-farms, is a type of intensive agriculture, specifically an approach to animal husbandry designed to maximize production, while ...
methods such as extreme confinement make farm animal welfare a major concern. Compared to other countries, Brazil also uses large numbers of animals for
fur Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket t ...
and
research Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...
. Recent years have seen several welfare reforms by the government and major meat producers.


Regulations

Brazil's first animal welfare law was a 1924 decree prohibiting "carrying out any behavior or recreation that cause suffering to animals." A more comprehensive 1934 decree stipulated that animals not be overworked or kept where they cannot breathe properly, move, or rest, or are deprived of air or light, and that animals be given a quick death (whether or not they are for human consumption). The decree also prohibits abandoning a sick, injured or mutilated animal and failing to provide an animal with "all that is necessary", including veterinary assistance. Lawyers from the Public Ministry or from animal protection organizations are allowed to assist animals in court, giving animals a degree of legal standing which they lack in many countries such as the United States. Brazil's constitution (1988) states that the government must protect animals from cruelty. In 1997 this constitutional protection was invoked in a historic decision by the Brazilian Supreme Court to uphold a ban on Farra do Boi, a festival involving the torture and killing of bulls and oxen in the state of Santa Catarina. A 1998 law prohibits the abuse of domestic and wild animals. It imposes more serious penalties for cruelty than the 1934 decree, with a sentence of 3 months to a year plus a fine, with the penalty increased by one-sixth to one-third if the animal is killed. A 2012 update to the Penal Code increased the penalty for cruelty from 3 months–1 year to 1–4 years, and up to 6 years if the animal is killed. The 1998 does not specifically address farm animals. A 2000 Normative Instruction regulates pre-slaughter handling and slaughter methods, stating handling must minimize stress and forbids the use of "aggressive instruments in slaughter". 2008 instructions establish procedures for rearing and transporting animals and provide for the production of Manuals of Good Practice (whose adoption is voluntary). In that year the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food Supply established the Permanent Technical Commission of Animal Welfare, whose tasks include the promotion of animal welfare-related events, the training of those involved in the livestock chain, and the publication and dissemination of technical material on animal welfare. Birds, which make up the large majority of land animals slaughtered for food in Brazil, are exempt from laws governing transport or export that affect animal welfare. In 2008 Brazil passed its first federal regulation specifically addressing animals in scientific research. The 2008 law provides for the creation of a National Animal Control and Experimentation Committee and institutional Ethical Committees on Animal Use, which are to follow the principles of the Three Rs: replacement of animals with non-animal methods, reduction of the number of animals used, and refinement of techniques used on animals. In 2014, Brazil banned most animal cosmetics testing, though testing ingredients with unknown effects on animals is allowed, as is testing on animals in other countries and selling the resulting products in Brazil. In 2014, Brazil received a C out of possible grades A,B,C,D,E,F,G on World Animal Protection's Animal Protection Index. In September 29th of 2020, president
Jair Bolsonaro Jair Messias Bolsonaro (; born 21 March 1955) is a Brazilian politician and retired military officer who has been the 38th president of Brazil since 1 January 2019. He was elected in 2018 as a member of the Social Liberal Party, which he turn ...
sanctioned a law that imposes more severe punishment for mistreatment of animals, namely dogs and cats. It increases the penalty to 2–5 years of
imprisonment Imprisonment is the restraint of a person's liberty, for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is "false imprisonment". Imprisonment does not necessari ...
and a
fine Fine may refer to: Characters * Sylvia Fine (''The Nanny''), Fran's mother on ''The Nanny'' * Officer Fine, a character in ''Tales from the Crypt'', played by Vincent Spano Legal terms * Fine (penalty), money to be paid as punishment for an offe ...
, and forbids the convict to own animals.


Animals used for food


Agriculture and animals

A 2014 source states that Brazil has the world's second-largest cattle herd (behind India) at 187 million animals. In 2009 Brazil had the fourth-largest chicken population (behind China, the U.S., and Indonesia) at around 1.2 billion. A 2012 report states that Brazil is the fifth-largest producer of pig meat, fourth-largest producer of turkey meat, third-largest producer of chicken meat, and second-largest producer of cattle meat. A 2014 source states that Brazil is the second-largest fish consumer in the world (behind Japan) at 12 kg per person per year. Brazil produces about 1.25 million tons of fish per year, with around 38% coming from
aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. lot ...
.


Intensive animal farming

Brazilian animal farms have been shifting towards a confinement model.
Battery cage Battery cages are a housing system used for various animal production methods, but primarily for egg-laying hens. The name arises from the arrangement of rows and columns of identical cages connected together, in a unit, as in an artillery batt ...
s,
gestation crate A gestation crate, also known as a sow stall, is a metal enclosure in which a farmed sow used for breeding may be kept during pregnancy.Wilson G. Pond, Fuller W. Bazer, Bernard E. Rollin (eds.), ''Animal Welfare in Animal Agriculture'', CRC Press ...
s, and
veal Veal is the meat of calves, in contrast to the beef from older cattle. Veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any breed, however most veal comes from young male calves of dairy breeds which are not used for breeding. Generally, v ...
crates - systems of extreme confinement - are legal in Brazil. At any given time, there are over 70 million egg-laying hens living in battery cages and almost 1.5 million breeding sows in gestation crates. In 2014, BRF - Brazil's largest pork producer - committed to phasing out the continuous use of gestation crates from its supply chain by 2026. In 2015, JBS - the world's largest animal protein processing company - announced plans to phase out all use of gestation crates at company-owned facilities by 2016, and the Brazilian Pork Producers Association announced that it will lead a study concerning a transition to higher-welfare group housing systems.


Transport and animals

The welfare of animals in transport is a major issue. Brazil is the world's leading exporter of live cattle and chicken Exported animals face severe welfare threats, as highlighted by the 2012 incident in which 2700 cattle died in the heat on a vessel attempting to unload at ports in the Middle East. Transport within Brazil is also a problem. Poor road conditions and weather often make journeys to the slaughterhouse last sixty or more hours, leading to extreme stress and death for the animals.


Government involvement

The government actively encourages the growth of the animal agriculture industry. From 2007-2009 the Brazilian National Development Bank invested $2.65 billion in the country's three largest beef suppliers. In 2010, the Agriculture and Livestock Plan doubled the credits available to the industry. In 2012, the government announced a plan to invest $2 billion until 2014 "to double catches and reach two million tons of fish annually."


Vegetarianism and veganism

In a 2012 survey of Brazilians, approximately 8% of respondents identified as
vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianism m ...
. The percentage of vegetarians was higher among those 65–75 years old (10%) than those aged 20–24 (7%). The study did not measure the number of
vegans Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet (nutrition), diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is kn ...
.


Animals used for clothing

Brazil is one of the biggest producers of
chinchilla Chinchillas are either of two species (''Chinchilla chinchilla'' and ''Chinchilla lanigera'') of crepuscular rodents of the parvorder Caviomorpha. They are slightly larger and more robust than ground squirrels, and are native to the Andes mount ...
fur in the world. In 2014 the state of Sao Paulo banned most fur farming, imposing a fine of at least 10,000
reais The Brazilian real ( pl. '; sign: R$; code: BRL) is the official currency of Brazil. It is subdivided into 100 centavos. The Central Bank of Brazil is the central bank and the issuing authority. The real replaced the cruzeiro real in 1994. A ...
(approximately 2880 USD) for offenders.


Animals used in science

A total of 3,497,653 animals were used in research published in 18 journals in the State of Paraná in 2006. From this the authors conclude that "it can be extrapolated that, in the whole of Brazil, the total number of animals used every year is extremely high in terms of the worldwide use of animals in experimentation."


Animal personhood

In 2005, a writ of ''
habeas corpus ''Habeas corpus'' (; from Medieval Latin, ) is a recourse in law through which a person can report an unlawful detention or imprisonment to a court and request that the court order the custodian of the person, usually a prison official, t ...
'' was requested for Suíça, a chimpanzee caged in allegedly inadequate conditions at a zoo. The court agreed to hear the case, but Suica died before a decision could be made. According to Gordilho, "This was the first case that recognised a chimpanzee as a plaintiff that achieved standing in a court of law through representatives." Several years earlier, a ''habeas corpus'' petition to release a caged bird had been dismissed. Aftermath, these activists founded a peer-reviewed open access academic journal, which is named as Brazilian Animal Law Journal (In
Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...
: ''Revista Brasileira de Direito Animal''). This journal is the first academic journal of Latin America specialized in Animal Law.


Animal activism

According to World Animal Protection, Brazil has "a thriving animal protection movement dating back to the 19th century." Two Brazilian groups were represented at the 1910 International Congress of animal protection organizations in Washington, D.C. (compared with much larger delegations from Europe, the U.S., and Canada). The Brazilian No More Cruelty! movement is aimed at increasing sentences for animal cruelty. In January 2012, in over 150 cities thousands of protesters marched under the No More Cruelty! slogan. On
Paulista Avenue Paulista Avenue (Avenida Paulista in Portuguese, ''Paulista'' being the demonym for those born in the state of São Paulo) is one of the most important avenues in São Paulo, Brazil. It stretches and runs northwest to southeast. Its northwest p ...
,
São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
alone there were 10,000 protesters. Later that year, changes to the Penal Code included an increase in the penalty for cruelty from 3 months-1 year to 1–4 years, and up to 6 years if the animal is killed. Sentences of 1–4 years were assigned to neglect and abandonment, promoting or participating in cockfighting was given up to 6 years. In 2013, No More Cruelty! protests were again held in over 165 cities. Domestic animal protection organizations include ProAnima, which focuses on ending the use of animals in circuses and horse carting and stopping the slaughter of street dogs and cats, and Fórum Nacional de Proteção e Defesa Animal, which addresses a range of companion and farm animal issues. Both were involved in the Be Cruelty-Free Brazil campaign to ban cosmetics testing.
Humane Society International Humane Society International (HSI) is the international division of The Humane Society of the United States. Founded in 1991, HSI has expanded The HSUS's activities into Central and South America, Africa, and Asia. HSI's Asian, Australian, Canad ...
is active in Brazil, having led the Be Cruelty-Free Brazil campaign which resulted in the partial ban on cosmetics testing and working with civil societies to promote
Meatless Monday Meatless Monday is an international campaign that encourages people to not eat meat on Mondays to improve their Health effects of meat consumption, health and the Environmental effects of meat production, health of the planet. Meatless Monday is ...
.


See also

*
Animal rights movement The animal rights (AR) movement, sometimes called the animal liberation, animal personhood, or animal advocacy movement, is a social movement that seeks an end to the rigid moral and legal distinction drawn between human and non-human animals, ...
*
Animal protectionism Animal protectionism is a position within animal rights theory that favors incremental change in pursuit of non-human animal interests. It is contrasted with abolitionism, the position that human beings have no moral right to use animals, and ought ...
*
Abolitionism (animal rights) Abolitionism or abolitionist veganism is the animal rights based opposition to all animal use by humans. Abolitionism intends to eliminate all forms of animal use by maintaining that all sentient beings, humans or nonhumans, share a basic right n ...
*
Animal consciousness Animal consciousness, or animal awareness, is the quality or state of self-awareness within a non-human animal, or of being aware of an external object or something within itself. In humans, consciousness has been defined as: sentience, aware ...
*
History of vegetarianism The earliest records of vegetarianism as a concept and practice amongst a significant number of people are from History of India, ancient India, especially among the Hindus and Jains.Spencer, Colin: ''The Heretic's Feast. A History of Vegetariani ...
*
List of animal rights advocates Advocates of animal rights support the philosophy of animal rights. They believe that many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as in avoiding suff ...
*
Vegetarianism by country Vegetarian and vegan dietary practices vary among countries. Differences include food standards, laws, and general cultural attitudes toward vegetarian diets. In some instances, vegetarians that choose to abstain from dairy may be labeled as ve ...
* Brazilian Abolitionist Movement for Animal liberation


References

{{Animal welfare by country