The Belgian Parliament has officially recognised animal welfare in the constitution, a move which animal rights organisation GAIA has hailed as a "historic advancement" after many years of campaigning.
On Thursday night, the Belgian Parliament passed a bill which seeks to add a provision into the constitution. This would oblige the Federal State, Communities and Regions to "ensure the protection and welfare of animals as sentient beings".
The constitutional amendment builds on a change to Belgium's Civil Code in 2020 which recognises animals as sentient beings rather than just belongings. Parliament debated the bill on Thursday, with those in favour saying that the constitutional article will give clear guidelines about animal welfare.
But Vincent Van Quickenborne (Open Vld) criticised a lack of consultation with farmers and voiced fears about the "madness of the left" that could, he said, lead to a ban on meat consumption or swatting flies. His comments were dismissed by Kristof Calvo (Groen) as a "poor piece of theatre".
A victory for animal protection
Many MPs welcomed the bill's success. Claire Hugon (Ecolo) called it a "major victory to improve animal protection" and cited strong public support revealed in a 2017 survey by GAIA: "86% of Belgians who want this evolution of the Belgian Constitution."
The same survey found that 90% of Belgians consider animals to be sentient beings deserving of respect. GAIA has campaigned to enshrine animal welfare in the Belgian constitution since 2016 and called Thursday's vote a "historic advancement".
“Today, animal welfare becomes a full constitutional value, joining other fundamental principles. This reflects a major societal evolution and highlights the growing importance of animal protection in our country,” said Michel Vandenbosch, president of GAIA. He highlighted that the adjustment to the constitution will bring more robust protections to animals.
The text had already been approved by the Senate and needed a special majority of two thirds during the Parliamentary vote to pass. It was adopted with 70 votes in favour (including unanimous Francophone backing), 23 against (Open Vld, the majority of the CD&V group), and 29 abstentions (N-VA, Vlaams Belang).
Belgium is the sixth EU Member State to confer constitutional protection on animals, following Germany, Slovenia, Luxembourg, Italy, and Austria.
Reacting to the new constitutional provision, Minister for Animal Welfare in the Brussels-Capital Region, Bernard Clerfayt (DéFI), said that in future the sentient nature of animals will be respected in all regulations, decrees, laws and ordinances.
"I hope that all governments and parliaments will respect these principles," he said in a statement on Instagram.
He added that a draft animal welfare code which he has brought to the Brussels Parliament is "the most forward-looking in Europe when it comes to really improving animal welfare" - although approval of the draft has been delayed a number of times, and it will not be adopted before the June elections.
