Historic milestone: Mexico adds animal welfare to its Constitution

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has signed a reform of Articles 3, 4 and 73 of the country’s constitution to include animal welfare provisions.

The amendments promise the protection, treatment, conservation and care of animals and prohibit animal abuse. They also ban the mistreatment of animals while breeding, the use and sacrifice of animals for human consumption and the use of wild animals for profit shows.

The new provisions, which entered into force on 3 December after being published in the Official Gazette, also mandate humane education across the country’s educational institutions.

All governments – federal, state and municipal – will have the power to issue protective laws to ensure the same.

History of exploitation

The new updated legislation has been largely regarded as necessary due to high levels of animal exploitation cases in Mexico.

According to Humane Society International/Mexico (HIS), this constitutional reform positions Mexico as a leader in animal welfare legislation and serves as a “strong symbol of a growing societal shift toward empathetic and caring attitudes with regards to animals.”

“This landmark constitutional reform has the power to transform the lives of millions of animals – from street dogs and cats enduring cruelty, disease and neglect to the billions of farmed animals exploited for food and the countless wildlife threatened by illegal trade,” says HIS’s Executive Director Anton Aguilar.

Senator Maki Esther Ortiz Domínguez noted that despite the presence of over 80 million pets in Mexico, the country displays the third-highest rates of animal violence globally.

Senator Alma Anahí González Hernández from the Morena ruling political party further indicated that despite all 31 Mexican states classifying animal abuse as a crime, a minor 0.01% of reported cases are punished.