Target: Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ukraine
Goal: Pass and enforce stronger animal welfare protections to end cruel practices and hold negligent owners accountable.
Ukraine’s parliament has taken an important step toward improving the lives of animals by approving, in the first reading, draft law No. 11328, which is intended to align national animal welfare rules with European humane standards. The proposed legislation introduces long-missing definitions for abandonment, proper living conditions, animal welfare, and responsibility for animals, laying the groundwork for clearer accountability in cases of cruelty and neglect.
The bill would prohibit several practices that are widely considered harmful, including painful cosmetic procedures such as ear and tail docking and debarking when not medically justified. The draft law also seeks to ban permanent tethering of animals without regular walking and to prevent interference with the feeding of stray animals. These measures aim to address forms of suffering that often occur out of public sight and are difficult to punish under existing law.
If fully adopted and enforced, the legislation could significantly strengthen protections for animals by regulating breeding facilities, restricting the use of animals in advertising and entertainment without safe conditions, and formally defining abandonment. This petition urges lawmakers to advance the bill without weakening its provisions and to ensure robust enforcement so that humane standards move from paper into practice.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Chairman Stefanchuk,
We are writing to express strong support for draft law No. 11328, which was approved in the first reading and is intended to strengthen animal welfare protections in Ukraine. The bill introduces essential definitions and prohibitions that would make it easier to address animal cruelty, neglect, and abandonment.
Animal welfare organisations have highlighted that the proposed measures would ban harmful cosmetic procedures, limit permanent chaining, regulate breeding conditions, and clarify responsibility for animals. These steps are critical to closing legal gaps that have allegedly allowed cruelty and neglect to go unpunished.
We respectfully urge the Verkhovna Rada to pass this law in its strongest form during the second reading and to commit to effective enforcement. Doing so will help ensure that humane treatment of animals becomes a lived reality and that Ukraine’s standards truly align with European norms.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Nazar Fedunkiv fdunk
