Legal Protection and Welfare of Farm Animals in Poland

Owing to their intellectual capabilities and extraordinary adaptability skills, humans quickly became the dominant species and learned to subjugate and exploit animals. Relations between man and nature, and especially the attitude of a human being to animals, have been the object of philosophical and religious deliberations for centuries. The relationship between hunter-gatherers and natural resources on which life is dependent was initially in equilibrium, but later on people began to keep animals for their meat, milk, skin and their muscle strength, which was called “domestication”. The right of humans to draw on animal resources has its limits. However, man got used to excessive exploitation of animals. This phenomenon is aggravated by intense animal husbandry and breeding. Farm animals were granted a legal status for the first time in the Polish legislation in 1997. In accordance with this status, their owner, keeper or user is obliged to respect their rights in the area of reproduction, breeding and slaughter. There are restrictions imposed on the use of farm animals and non-compliance results in criminal liability.