Time to take action on Egypt's laws
There is presently an opportunity in Egypt to further develop its animal welfare laws, aligning these laws with Egypt’s long-term social and economic development goals. Egypt has an opportunity to be a leader in its region, an opportunity that we wholeheartedly support, which we see as benefiting the people and animals of Egypt, and Egypt’s reputation on the world stage.
The Present Egypt Law
In 2014, Egypt took the significant step of amending its Constitution, introducing Article 45:
“The state shall … preserve plant, animal and fish resources and protect those under the threat of extinction and danger, and guarantee humane treatment of animals, all according to the law.“
Egypt’s Agriculture Law (1966) focuses mainly on agricultural animals and contains basic measures to protect against abuse. However, there is no comprehensive regulation that explicitly guarantees the welfare of all animals.
Lastly, the Egyptian Penal Code (articles 355 and 375) includes criminal penalties for deliberately killing or poisoning some animals (a riding animal, a carrying or a towing beast, any other type of livestock or tame animals), but doesn’t specify prohibitions, animal suffer through failure to act.