Petition With Nearly 140,000 Signatures Demanding Fur-Farming & Other Animal Welfare Issues Not Be Ignored, Delivered To Parliament In Finland

On Wednesday, representatives from animal welfare organizations Animalia and SEY, delivered a petition with nearly 140,000 signatures to the parliament in Finland, demanding changes to the Animal Welfare Law.

The move comes after a controversial new bill was introduced that ignores numerous crucial animal welfare issues such as the banning of fur farming which remains prevalent in Finland, especially in northern parts of the country.

Under the new law, should it become effective in 2021, farm animals still will not have continuous access to drinking water, registration and identification marking of dogs and cats will not be mandatory, and the movement of pigs and fur animals will remain limited due to usage of anti-rotation cages.

“This is unacceptable, especially since, according to 2016 Eurobarometer, 90% of Finns expressed that they want better protection for farm animals,” Mai Kivelä, Director of Animalia said in a statement posted by Eurogroup For Animals.

The organizations further argue that despite the active participation in the law’s preparation, crucial animal welfare experts’ recommendations have again been ignored or overlooked.

“The Government’s presentation of the animal welfare law is disappointing in many respects, so it needs to be changed,” noted a post on SEY’s Facebook page after the animal law petition was delivered. “Improvements are needed, in particular, to the right of animals to move and to obtain effective relief for pain. Animals must not be raised in cramped cages.”

“We know the animals’ rights can never be fully realized in the framework of intensive farming,” said Animalia animal advocate Veikka Lahtinen. “However, we must do everything we can to improve the animals’ living conditions.”

The post also stated that more controls are needed for slaughterhouses.