Document type : Article published in le Journal du Dimanche
Author: JDD
Preview: In a open letter to the governmentIn an open letter, 43 NGOs and 30 members of the French parliament, including Cédric Villani, Aurore Bergé and Laurence Rossignol, are demanding that the proposed law against animal abuse, which was passed by the National Assembly on 29 January, be placed on the Senate's agenda.
At the request of Convergence Animaux Politique, an association that works for improvements to policy on animals, 30 parliamentarians, including Cédric Villani, Aurore Bergé and Laurence Rossignol, and 43 NGOs* are calling on the French government to ensure that the Bill against animal abuse, which was passed by the National Assembly on 29 January, can be debated in the Senate. "An entire group of sentient beings are currently left without sufficient protection and it is up to political decision-makers to remedy this," the signatories write, recalling the State's commitment to "grant better protection to animals".
"Open letter to the Prime Minister, Jean Castex, to the Ministers Barbara Pompili, Julien Denormandie and Marc Fesneau
On 29 January 2021, the National Assembly adopted an ambitious and pragmatic Bill to strengthen the fight against animal abuse. This text, presented by the rapporteurs Loïc Dombreval, Laëtitia Romeiro Dias and Dimitri Houbron, and for which a very large majority of the Deputies voted, should ensure better protection for pets and put an end to the captivity of many wild animals. However, it has still not been placed on the Senate's agenda, a fact which compromises its final adoption by Parliament. We therefore call on the government to act so that the debate can take place in the Senate as soon as possible.
We would like to bring to your attention the major issues related to the adoption of this law. We believe, like 89%** of our fellow citizens, that it is time for our society to build more humanity into our relationship with animals. An entire group of sentient beings is currently left without sufficient protection and it is up to political decision-makers to remedy this.
For several years, a large number of parliamentarians have been working to translate this public demand into law. For this reason, we are convinced that the important work carried out by Deputies and NGOs on this bill must be continued by the Senators. The future of our democracy requires our institutions to function effectively. We therefore ask the government to intervene to ensure that this text appears on the Senate agenda. As the government has committed itself on several occasions to the granting of better protection to animals, it is its responsibility to assist the successful progression of this bill into law.
Prime Minister, Ministers, let us not miss the opportunity to rise together to these challenges. »
89% of French people consider animal rights to be important, according to a 2019 IFOP poll.
