Document type : Opinion piece published in Le Monde (subscriber edition)
Authors : Charlotte Arnal, Muriel Arnal, Didier Bonnet, Stan Broniszewski, Léopoldine Charbonneaux, Gérard Charollois, Christophe Coret, Simon Coutel, Jacques-Charles Fombonne, Frédéric Freund, Christine Grandjean, Thierry Hély, Laure Ieltsch, Melvin Josse, Marie-Laure Laprade, Christiane Laupie-Koechlin, Emilie de Marco, Christophe Marie, Nicolas Marty, André Meother small companion animalshe, Alexandra Morette, Valérie Romano, Madline Rubin, Louis Schweitzer, Nathalie Soisson, Benoît Thomé, Isabelle Vieira, Ghislain Zuccolo
Preview: The animal cause has become a real concern for the public, yet the French presidential candidates show little interest. In an opinion piece published in "Le Monde", twenty-eight NGOs have joined forces as part of the "Engagement Animaux 2022" group to obtain explicit commitments on animal protection.
Between the very first French animal protection law of 2 July 1850, prohibiting violence against animals in public places, and the law passed in November 2021 to combat animal abuse and strengthen the bond between animals and humans, there have been considerable changes in the way that animals are recognised and protected.
Whereas, in 1850, the stated intent was to protect humans from the repercussions of violence against animals, today it is hard to argue against the need to defend animals for their own sakes. Few laws have united so many elected representatives from all sides as the one recently adopted in the French Senate and the Assemblée Nationale with barely a dissenting voice (four hundred and fifty votes in favour and only two votes against).
In the meantime, science has amply demonstrated how close their mental faculties are to ours. Monkeys, wild boars and birds pass on cultural information from generation to generation; rats are capable of making personal sacrifices to help their fellows and chickens make efforts to educate their offspring properly.
Not a presidential issue
Language, emotions and awareness of their environment and feelings have been documented in an increasing number of species in recent years. Despite this, never have we shut in and killed as many animals as we do today in France, often in appalling conditions.
How can we explain the fact that the French supply chain is based on farming systems where eight out of ten animals are raised without access to the outside world, when 91% of French people are opposed to this method of production? Or that bullfighting continues when more than six out of ten French people would like to see it disappear, including 75% of the inhabitants of so-called "bullfighting" Départements?
Accordingly, nearly seven out of ten French people consider that politicians do not do enough to protect animals. Moreover, for 47% of the public, the issue of whether candidates are committed to animal protection is now a factor in their electoral choices. Nevertheless, most of the candidates for the French presidency do not seem to understand the issue at stake and remain silent on the subject. [end of section of the article accessible to non-subscribers].
