Executive Summary

The Animal Health and Development Law 1993 is the main piece of legislation dealing with animal welfare in Myanmar. The law provides basic protections for some animals including protection from deliberate harm, such as withholding food and water, but it lacks a recognition of animal sentience and is applicable only to domesticated animals bred by humans. While the Protection of Wildlife and Conservation of Natural Areas Law 1994 applies some protections to wildlife, the fact that wild animals are not within the scope of the Animal Health and Development Law is concerning. There are some protections for livestock and draught animals, however, these do not cover their rearing, their transport or their slaughter, nor provide species-specific standards. Overall, there is a lack of animal welfare legislation in Myanmar.

The Ministry for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation holds overall responsibility under the Animal Health and Development Law, but Myanmar lacks a body or department dedicated to animal welfare. While Myanmar recognises in some ways the connection between animal and human health, the country’s legislation is limited in applying protections for animal welfare.

Since the API was first published in 2014, Myanmar has not substantially improved animal welfare through legislation. Myanmar has made great strides in its plan for developing a “green” agenda and strives to develop sustainably. While these policies and strategies are likely to positively impact species conservation and livestock animals, generally they have not translated into explicit improvements for animal welfare. While the Government has partnered with both the OIE and NGOs for improvements in animal health and a “green” development plan, they are yet to entrench OIE standards into their animal welfare law.

The Government of Myanmar is urged to develop and legislate animal welfare protections for livestock from rearing to transport to slaughter. Similarly, the Government of Myanmar is encouraged to ban completely the culling of stray animal populations and engage with organisations such as the United Against Rabies Collaboration to protect both animals and its human population from rabies.  The Government of Myanmar is encouraged to strengthen and expand its current animal welfare protections into a comprehensive Act that would enshrine animal sentience, define animal welfare in accordance with OIE standards and prohibit animal cruelty in a more encompassing manner. This includes the creation of a specific government body dedicated to animal welfare that should include representatives from animal welfare organisations. Further legal and policy recommendations are associated with each Animal Protection Index (API) indicator and contained in the relevant sections of this report.