The first international farm animal law database Coller Animal Law Forum (CALF) launched on Thursday. The database analyses laws and policies that impact farmed animals in different countries.
“There is currently a lack of coherent and synchronized policy to address issues relating to industrial animal agriculture, which is hindering progress towards a sustainable transition for global food and agriculture,” the UK-based Jeremy Coller Foundation, which launched CALF, said in a press release.
The database aims to help improve the laws about industrial animal farming worldwide, the founders said.
It analyzes the laws and policies in countries related to issues such as animal welfare, antibiotics overuse in farmed animals, environmental protection in agriculture and international trade.
As an example of how the database might be used, the founders said those wishing to draft new laws or update existing ones could first check existing farm animal laws in different countries.
It said that while several European countries recognize animal sentience, others do not, meaning the database would allow users to compare the different legal approaches.
Countries wishing to draft new laws on the ways antibiotics and antimicrobials are used to treat farmed animals could first examine the database to see which countries emphasize monitoring the use of animal pharmaceuticals and which prefer to limit the use of certain substances.
The foundation hopes CALF will be used by “policymakers, parliamentarians, researchers, and advocates working to bring about a more sustainable global food system.”
The Jeremy Coller Foundation foundation provides grants aimed at ending factory farming. They also run the Farm Animal Investment Risk & Return (FAIRR) initiative, a $40 trillion investor network that seeks to reduce the world’s reliance on animal proteins.
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