TDK conference 2022

The sanctioning of animal cruelty goes back a long way, however large differences can be observed in its administrative and criminal law approach in the past centuries. This is partly due to the great development of animal science and jurisprudence. The present research focuses on exploring the legal and animal health aspects of animal cruelty from the 19th century to nowadays, with special emphasis on the attitude of veterinarians to animal cruelty. The research is based on a literature review, analysis of data provided by the National Court Office and Hungarian Government Offices, and information obtained through an interview with the government commissioner responsible for the area.

Based on the results of qualitative research, veterinarians typically took strong action against the torture and abuse of animals, and took part in the formulation of legislation in all periods examined. It should be noted that there are exceptions in every era - the profession spoiling social judgment. Almost without exception, there is an agreement among veterinarians that animal protection as a profession can primarily be linked to veterinarians, since animal health is the basis of, among other things, the relevant legislation.

In 2021, the number of administrative reports related to animal cruelty in Hungary was more than 6,200, and the report was followed by an official inspection in more than 92% of the cases. In the same year, the number of people convicted of animal cruelty before a criminal court was 171 people, while the number of people convicted without a criminal record was 137 people. The condition for reporting animal cruelty is its recognition: not only in the past, but also nowadays, it can be reasonably assumed that the latency is high.

Currently, animal cruelty and its preventive treatment is a government goal, which is confirmed by the appointment of the government commissioner responsible for the area. The result of a government decision issued in December 2021 to map out the procedure for animal cruelty cases is a report that makes recommendations to speed up and ensure a smoother coordination in animal cruelty cases. The report believes that the key to success lies in education for future generations, the population and those involved in animal protection matters, but it is essential to stress that the effect of these measures will necessarily be effective in the longer term.