Animal advocates urge parties to include animal welfare in election platforms

TALLINN - The Estonian Animal Advocacy Network (ELEV) has sent input to Estonia's political parties for drafting their platforms for the 2027 parliamentary elections, urging them to treat animal welfare as a significant social and political issue and to include concrete steps on how they plan to stand for animal welfare.

"The treatment of animals reflects a society's values. Animal welfare is not a narrow issue concerning just one field, but a topic that also directly touches upon public health, security, environmental protection, and ethical choices," states the appeal sent to the political parties.

ELEV emphasizes that evidence-based and well-considered decisions for animal protection help prevent problems, reduce societal costs, and improve general well-being. This set of proposals is based on international knowledge, Estonian practices, and the presenters' long-term experience in the field of animal welfare. The network's goal is to offer political parties meaningful and feasible solutions that would help shape Estonia into a country where animals are considered systematically and responsibly.

The proposals sent to the parties cover several areas of animal welfare. Among other things, ELEV proposes amending the Animal Protection Act to recognize the intrinsic value of animals and to consider treating them as legal subjects; establishing a positive list, or a list of permitted species, for keeping pets; introducing animal welfare topics into school curricula; regulating the use of animals in educational institutions and banning them from childcare facilities; prohibiting the sale of animals in shops; banning the use of electric and choke collars in dog training, except with a veterinarian's permission; directing more agricultural subsidies towards plant-based food cultivation and the development of alternative protein sources; more clearly incorporating the welfare of fish and other aquatic animals into legislation; placing the European eel under nature protection in Estonia and banning its fishing and sale; restricting meat industry advertisements that are harmful to animal welfare, the environment, and public health; raising awareness about the welfare of urban animals and considering them in urban planning; establishing a mandatory, date-specific nesting moratorium throughout Estonia; transitioning from game management to an animal policy that prioritizes non-lethal solutions and banning recreational hunting; increasing penalties for poaching and raising damage compensation rates; and restricting the sale and use of fireworks to protect animals and the environment.

ELEV affirms its readiness to cooperate with all political parties and decision-makers who wish to contribute to shaping a more just, caring, and benevolent Estonia for animals.

ELEV brings together organizations whose daily work is based on the principle that animal welfare is an integral part of a caring, sustainable, and just society. The network includes the Estonian Society for the Protection of Animals, NGO Loomus, NGO Varjupaikade (Shelters), and NGO Rõõmsad Hüpped (Happy Leaps). These organizations deal daily with problems and solutions concerning the welfare of pets, farm animals, and wild animals.

The Estonian Animal Advocacy Network (ELEV) is an informal collaborative network aimed at strengthening cooperation and information sharing among organizations involved in non-human animal advocacy and enhancing the animal advocacy landscape as a whole. The network was initiated by NGO Loomus, the Estonian Society for the Protection of Animals, NGO Varjupaikade, and NGO Rõõmsad Hüpped.