Reglering och förvaltning av produktions- och slaktdjurs välbefinnande : en offentligrättslig undersökning

Djur och djurskyddet hör till ett rättsligt regleringsområde som inte varit föremål för omfattande rättsvetenskaplig forskning i vårt land även om intresset för djurs välbefinnande ökat både i samhället och inom EU. Avhandlingen har avfattats som en artikelavhandling och är en offentligrättslig studie om djurskyddslagstiftningen och förvaltningen av djurskyddsärenden i Finland. Tematiken har behandlats både ur djurens och djurens ägares eller innehavares synvinkel med utgångspunkt i djurskyddslagstiftningen och förvaltningen av djurskyddsärenden i Finland. Forskningen är fokuserad huvudsakligen på skyddet av och välbefinnandet hos produktions- och slaktdjur även om bland annat de begrepp som granskas också berör andra djurkategorier. De övergripande frågeställningarna i avhandlingen är två. För det första, vad är det som avses med djurs välbefinnande och skydd i regleringen av djurskyddet och för det andra, hur realiseras dessa i djurskyddsmyndigheternas förvaltningsverksamhet? I forskningen presenteras och diskuteras bland annat en ny begreppskonstruktion: djurs rättsliga välbefinnande. Den empiriska delen i avhandlingen omfattar förvaltningsverksamheten inom området av djurskydd under åren 1996–2006. Sammanlagt 10468 dokument som upprättats av djurskyddsmyndigheten i samband med verkställandet av djurskyddsövervakning ingår i undersökningen. Forskningen utmynnar i en åtgärdsförteckning med förslag till utvecklingen av området för djurskydd.

Eläinten hyvinvointia ei ole julkisoikeudellisesta näkökulmasta tässä mittakaavassa aikaisemmin Suomessa tutkittu. Tutkimuksessa selvitettiin pääasiassa, mikä eläinten oikeudellinen asema on ja mitä eläinten hyvinvointi oikeudellisesti merkitsee. Lisäksi tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin miten eläinsuojelulainsäädäntöä on tulkittu ja sovellettu eläinsuojeluviranomaisen toimittamien eläinsuojelutarkastusten yhteydessä. Tutkimuksessa arvioitiin myös eläinsuojeluviranomaisten valvontatoiminnan tehokkuutta erityisesti eläinsuojelulain tarkoituksen näkökulmasta. Eläinten omistajien tai haltijoiden oikeusturvaa tutkittiin hallintolaissa säädettyjen asian käsittelyyn ja päätöksentekoon liittyvien vaatimusten toteutumisen kautta. Tutkimuksessa todetaan muun muassa, että eläinsuojelulainsäädännön lähtökohtana pitäisi olla eläinten tarpeet, eikä niinkään niiden elinympäristöön kohdistuvat vaatimukset. Tutkimuksessa esitetään, että eläinsuojelulainsäädännön perusta pitäisi säätää Suomen perustuslaissa tunnustaen eläinten itseisarvo. Tutkimuksessa todetaan myös, että eläinsuojelulain tulkinta ja eläinsuojelulainsäädännön soveltaminen kokonaisuudessaan pitäisi olla eläinsuojelulain tarkoituksen mukainen – eli, että eläimiä suojellaan parhaalla mahdollisella tavalla tarpeettomalta kärsimykseltä, kivulta ja tuskalta sekä edistetään niiden hyvinvointia. Eläinsuojeluvalvonnan yhteydessä lainsäädännön tulkinta ja soveltaminen sekä viranomaistoiminnan kirjaaminen muodostavat käytännössä sen oikeudellisen hyvinvoinnin tason joka eläimelle lain nojalla suodaan. Lisäksi sillä varmistetaan eläimen omistajan tai haltijan oikeusturva eläinsuojeluasiassa. Tutkimuksessa korostetaan, että selkeästi ja tarkasti kirjatun valvontatoiminnan merkitystä ei pidä aliarvioida eläinten hyvinvoinnin edistämisessä.

The way in which animal welfare and the treatment of animals by humans is legislated upon varies in different countries around the world. The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) requires that, since animals are sentient beings, both the EU and the Member States pay full regard to the welfare requirements of animals in formulating and implementing Union agriculture, fisheries, transport, internal market, research and technology development. In Finland, the objectives of the Animal Welfare Act and the Transport Act are to protect animals from undue distress, pain and suffering in the best possible way, and to promote the welfare and fair treatment of animals. In addition, the physiological and behavioural needs of animals must be taken into account when keeping animals. In other words, the protection covers the lives of farm animals and their slaughter thereafter. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is the supreme authority in supervising animal welfare and protection, and the Finnish Food Safety Authority functions at central government level. In the provinces, the Regional State Administrative Agencies are responsible for supervision; in the municipalities, the responsibility lies with the municipal veterinarian (a local authority officer), the supervisor for food safety in the municipality (also a local authority officer) and police officers. In slaughterhouses, the veterinary officer for meat inspection control is also answerable for compliance with the legislation of animal welfare issues (similar to the veterinary officer for border controls at border crossing, exit point and veterinary control point). Furthermore, under established conditions, the Regional State Administrative Agencies may grant the right to an individual to perform inspections as an animal protection supervisor. The animal protection supervisor, however, does not have the right to perform an inspection that violates domiciliary peace. In this study, the legislation concerning the welfare of farm and slaughter animals and the interpretation of the Acts (in the regulations issued under them) taken by the (S)supreme (A)animal (W)welfare (A)authority in Finland is first examined. Secondly, the supervision of animal welfare is investigated as to how the authorities enforce and control compliance with the legislation. Thirdly, the intrinsic value of nature and animals, and the legal position of animals in the Finnish legal system are studied and discussed. This thesis consists of a collection of four articles published in Swedish during 2008–2011, and a summary. Article I, Farm and Slaughter Animals in Finnish Legal Order with a Starting Point in EU legislation and the Presumptions of Interpretations made by the Court of Justice in the EU, and Section 20 of the Constitution of Finland, addresses fundamental issues of the legislation. The main issues examined were the teleological interpretation enforced by the EU Court of Justice and the legal obligations of humans towards nature (and animals) and the intrinsic values of animals in accordance with the Constitution of Finland. What animal fundamental rights could signify in legal terms was also discussed. In article II, The Concept of the Judicial Welfare and Protection of Farm and Slaughter Animals, defines what animal welfare means in legal terms. The concept of animal legal welfare is introduced. The main conclusion is that animal legal welfare is relative and based on incomplete understanding and knowledge by humans of the factual welfare of animals which is not necessarily consistent with that understanding and knowledge. Nevertheless, through the interpretation and application of the provisions in compliance with the objective of the acts related to the welfare of farm and slaughter animals, the level of the welfare of an animal may be improved in practice. The aim of article III, Pro Bono Publico? A Study of the Welfare of Poultry and Supervisors’ Jurisdiction in Relation to Food Safety and Public Health, the demands concerning animal welfare in food safety regulation were investigated with respect to how legal welfare appears in the authorities’ actions regarding the protection of poultry during 2004–2007. Protection concerning the welfare of farm and slaughter animals is an integral part of food safety regulations, but in slaughterhouses (under the local animal welfare authority), the veterinarians’ competence and powers are regulated differently in these two areas of jurisdiction. This may have an impact on how the parties involved understand (or misunderstand) the legal and binding aspects of decisions made by the veterinarian in the slaughterhouse in animal welfare matters. The so-called turkey case also shows that the measures (or lack thereof) taken by supreme and central government authorities are not always congruent with the aim of the Animal Welfare Act. Article IV, Supervision Based on the Finnish Animal Welfare Act (247/1996) during 1996–2006: Farm and Slaughter Animals in Western Finland (the Area of Vaasa, Jyväskylä, Tampere and Turku), was firstly to investigate whether animal welfare authorities apply the legislation concerning the protection and welfare of animals according to the objective of the Animal Welfare Act, and secondly, whether the administration of cases is effective and in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act. The study was based on a total of 10 468 documents (3593 documents were analyzed with SPSS) produced by animal welfare authorities. Furthermore, five slaughterhouses were visited. From the animal perspective, the research revealed that the control and supervision enforced by veterinarians in slaughterhouses present quite a high threshold for interference concerning how animals are treated or cared for before slaughter. The actions taken by the veterinarians in the study were mainly concerned with urgent measures to end the suffering of an animal. The actions taken, mainly by municipal veterinarians, varied considerably both in the content and how the sections in the law were applied by the authority. Their supervision signified that their actions may not protect animals and promote animal welfare in the best possible way. Significant from an animal owner’s point of view was that only 57, 4 % of the documents (N=3084) concerning an inspection included a report of the inspection, and in only 30, 8 % of the cases (N=3080) was the owner heard. Furthermore, a reasoning for a decision was supplied in 28, 2 % of the documents (N=3043). These figures cannot be considered to ensure an owner’s right to reasonable administration and legal protection in administrative matters in accordance with the legislation. As general conclusions, the collected articles in this thesis indicate, firstly, that the way animal welfare issues are legislated upon should have a starting point in animal needs, not in the demands of the environment. Secondly, the legislation should have its basis in the Constitution of Finland. Thirdly, it should not be underestimated how important it is that interpretation of the law and application of legislation as a whole are carried out in compliance with the aim of animal welfare legislation – namely, to protect animals from suffering, pain and distress, and to promote their welfare.