Executive Summary

There is a lack of an overall animal welfare legislation in Belarus. The country’s legislation does not recognise animal sentience, and animals lack basic animal protection. For instance, animal cruelty is not prohibited, and there is no duty of care onto animal owners. With regards to farm animals, secondary legislation mandates the humane slaughter of poultry; however, the definition of ‘humane’ does not include mandatory stunning prior to slaughter. Furthermore, there is a lack of legislation surrounding the conditions for rearing and transport of farm animals. Belarus also authorises the culling of stray animals. Furthermore, the country allows for the use of animals for fur farming and entertainment purposes, such as circuses.

The Department of Veterinary and Food Control within the Ministry of Agriculture and Food is responsible for animal health in Belarus. However, there is no Ministry responsible for animal welfare. There is a lack of government bodies dedicated to animal welfare in general, as well as specific animal welfare issues, such as the use of animals in scientific research.  

The Government of Belarus is urged to enact a comprehensive animal welfare legislative act that would enshrine animal sentience, define animal welfare in line with the OIE standards, and prohibit animal cruelty. Further animal welfare provisions will stem from this recognition of sentience. In particular, the Government of Belarus is urged to ban the worst forms of confinement for animals reared in farming, and to mandate humane slaughter for all livestock animal species. In addition, the Government of Belarus is strongly encouraged to fully ban fur farming, which is inherently cruel and causes pain, distress and suffering to animals. The Government of Belarus is urged to outlaw the culling of stray animal populations, and to implement spay-and-neuter campaigns as a tool to control stray animal populations. The Government of Belarus is also strongly encouraged to ban the use of all animals for entertainment, in circuses for instance. Overall, the Government of Belarus is strongly encouraged to align its current legislation with OIE standards. Responsibility for animal welfare should be allocated to a Ministry, and a specific government body should enact and assess the implementation of animal protection legislation. Such a government body 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.