‘Miserable, laborious, and short’: The lives of animals

Animal welfare legislation in South Africa is deficient, especially in relation to farm animals reared for ingestion by human beings. That being so, this article analyses aspects of public international law, administrative law, constitutional law and interpretation of statutes that may contribute towards affording more legal protection to such animals. An overview of recent case law highlights that the Constitutional Court has mandated a shift away from the traditional laissez-faire legal attitude to human use of animals towards one that requires enhanced protection of their interests. To that end, extensive legislative reform is necessary to rectify the deficiencies of the present system.