Progress and Resistance: Highlights of the Polish Animal Law

Having recognized animals as not things but sentient creatures to whom a man owes respect, protection, and care as early as 1997, Poland has had one of the most progressive animal welfare legislations at the turn of the century. Although the Polish animal law has not been fundamentally revised since then, it still incorporates numerous original, advanced, and interesting solutions. These include the approach to animal killing and abuse, the role assigned to non-governmental organizations in enforcement procedures, the organization of ethical review of animal research, and more. The paper provides a brief overview of the most important aspects of the legal protection of animals in Poland, emphasizing the legal institutions and case law that are particularly significant from a general jurisprudential and comparative perspective.