DOI: 10.33988/auvfd.1920122 ISSN: 1300-0861

Comparative analysis of animal welfare regulations in the EU and Türkiye

Ayşe Arat, Kürşat Ersöz, Mustafa Garip
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Animal welfare is based on the "Five Freedoms" principle, which is internationally applied to safeguard the physical and mental well-being of animals. Under European Union legislation, animals are recognized not merely as objects but as "sentient beings"; farming, transport, and slaughter processes are subject to strict welfare standards. Within this framework, the EU has established a comprehensive body of legislation defining species-specific housing, transport, and slaughter standards for animals such as laying hens, calves, and pigs. Today, the European Union continues to advance these standards through strategies such as "From Farm to Fork" and "Ending the Cage Age." In Türkiye, however, animal welfare is addressed primarily under Law No. 5199, which focuses on protecting animals, and Law No. 5996, which focuses on food and production. However, the human-centered rules introduced by Law No. 7527 in 2024 regarding the collection and sheltering of stray animals have been criticized for their lack of feasibility, particularly given the administrative and financial limitations of municipalities.When comparing the two legal systems, it is evident that regulations in Türkiye, such as the “Regulation on the Welfare of Farm Animals,” are consistent with the EU’s core directives. However, the most notable differences include the absence of detailed and stringent species-specific sub-standards in Turkish legislation, discrepancies in pre-slaughter stunning regulations, and the long transition periods (extended until 2026) granted for practices such as the mandatory use of GPS in transport vehicles. The study concludes that, although Turkish legal texts are not significantly behind global standards, their implementation faces serious challenges owing to insufficiently deterrent penalties, weak enforcement, and limited public awareness.

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