Document type : Article published in Le Monde (subscriber edition)
Authors: Abel Mestre, Mathilde Gérard
Preview: Appearing in almost all the candidates' manifestos, animal welfare is now taken seriously, even if the level of engagement from the parties is variable.
They have made it into the candidates' manifestos. Still on a marginal topic just five years ago, animals and the suffering we inflict on them have now moved up the agendas of the contenders for the Elysée. Almost all the manifestos mention animal welfare: from an expeditious mention by Emmanuel Macron, allowing just one line in twenty-four pages to the issue, to extended perorations from Yannick Jadot and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who devote entire chapters of their manifestos to it. This campaign has even seen the lawyer Hélène Thouy, nominated by the Animalist Party, put forward a manifesto entirely devoted to the protection of animals. Although she did not obtain the 500 supporting signatures required to stand, her candidacy nevertheless contributed to the visibility of the issue, pushing competitors to state their positions.
This is the first campaign where animals are a theme that the candidates are expected to address," notes Melvin Josse, a representative of the "Engagement animaux 2022" platform, which acts as a point of collaboration between some thirty animal protection NGOs (SPA, Fondation Brigitte Bardot, CIWF, Welfarm, etc.) so that they can put shared requests to the candidates. Until recently, we couldn't really differentiate between the Right and the Left, because neither side was really committed," he says. However, during the past five years, some groups on the Left, in particular La France insoumise (LFI) and Europe Ecologie-Les Verts (EELV), have clearly taken a stand on the animal cause."
On the Right and extreme Right, the topic is supported by some elected representatives but it causes embarrassment. Their party machines are having difficulty in adopting a position," continues Mr Josse, "caught between an issue they perceive as important and the desire not to offend economic interests or a part of their electorate. [End of text available to non-subscribers]
