Proposition 51K2823

Logo (Chamber of representatives)

Projet de loi modifiant les articles 1er, 35 et 39 de la loi du 14 août 1986 relative à la protection et au bien-être des animaux en vue d'augmenter la peine en cas de sévices occasionnés à un animal et d'interdire les relations sexuelles avec les animaux.

General information

Submitted by
The Senate
Submission date
April 25, 2005
Official page
Visit
Status
Adopted
Requirement
Simple
Subjects
protection of animals

Voting

Voted to adopt
Vooruit Ecolo LE PS | SP Open Vld MR

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Discussion

Feb. 8, 2007 | Plenary session (Chamber of representatives)

Full source


Rapporteur Magda De Meyer

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Minister, colleagues, also this is originally a proposal from the Senate, which has come to our House as a draft. The draft was discussed at the meeting of the Public Health Committee on 23 January 2007. There was a bill to be added from Mrs. Tilmans which, however, was disconnected from the draft, at her request.

What is the basis of the present draft? It is intended to punish more severely serious animal abuse and also to punish more severely recidive – which we talked about today. It is intended, in general, to provide magistrates who have to take a decision on animal abuse a wider arsenal of resources to respond.

During the discussion, I and colleague Giet submitted an amendment on the prohibition of sex with animals. Why Why ? That goes back to a ruling by the Court of Appeal of Antwerp, where a animal rapist was acquitted because the court ruled that our current animal welfare law could not be used to punish that rapist. Therefore, we have proposed, through our amendment, to amend the law so that such rejectional acts would indeed be punishable through our legal arsenal.

It was still raised in the committee, by colleague Mark Verhaegen of CD&V, whether the penalty as now inscribed in the draft, however, would not be a little too high. The representative of the Minister responded that in France the penalties for such acts are even more severe and that the penalties proposed in the draft cannot actually be called excessive. Furthermore, if one enters too small penalties, there is little chance that they will be expelled. Therefore, this legislative amendment offers the magistrates a wider arsenal to impose penalties.

Until then the discussion. The whole draft was adopted in our committee with 9 votes for and 1 abstinence. (Applause of Applause)


President Herman De Croo

Thank you, Mrs De Meyer. I would like to express my applause, Mr. Leader of the Group.