In November 2024, Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies unanimously passed a bill amending three articles of the Constitution of Mexico. After acquiring approval from local congresses, the constitutional reforms were signed by President Claudia Sheinbaum on December 2, making animal welfare and protection legislation a responsibility of the Mexican federal government.
Vox reports that, previously, only local and state authorities were in charge of animal welfare, but the amendments will let the federal government pass animal welfare and protection laws. These amendments also prohibit the mistreatment of animals and guarantees their protection, treatment, and conservation. Lastly, schools are now required to include animal welfare in elementary and high school curricula.
Only eight other countries have animal rights written into their constitutions: Austria, Brazil, Egypt, Germany, India, Luxembourg, Slovenia, and Switzerland. The European Union also includes provisions related to animal treatment in its constitution. But Karen Stilt of Harvard Law School’s Animal Law and Policy Program said that Mexico’s reforms stand out because it’s “in several provisions. It’s not just a general statement.”
Several other countries also have laws addressing animal mistreatment, but business interests influence their enforcement, according to Vox. Animal Equity Mexico Executive Director Dulce Ramirez said that she and other animal rights advocates have worked to ensure that farmed animals are included in new protection laws.
In 2022, Mexico was the sixth top meat producer in the world, having produced 7,891,058 tonnes of meat that year, according to Our World in Data. To compare, China placed first at 92,948,520 tonnes, while the Philippines placed 25th with 2,907,638 tonnes of meat produced.
Animal welfare legislation in the Philippines
The only part of the Philippine Constitution that alludes to animal welfare is Section 16, Article II, which says: “The State shall protect and advance the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature.”
Existing legislation in the country consists of the Animal Welfare Act of 1998, which supervises and regulates “the establishment and operations of all facilities utilized for breeding, maintaining, keeping, treating or training of all animals either as objects of trade or as household pets.” The Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001 seeks to regulate the collection and trade of wildlife, commit to international wildlife conservation conventions, and support scientific studies on the conservation of biological diversity.
In March 2024, Senator Grace Poe urged the passage of a Revised Animal Welfare Act (Senate Bill 2458), which would include mandatory animal welfare education for grade school and high school students and establish a government agency to enforce the act’s provisions.
