Offences against animals in Finland

Tarja Koskela

Chapter 15 in Research Handbook on Animal Law and Animal Rights, 2025, pp 285-308 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter discusses crimes against animals in Finland. Cruelty to animals is regulated by both the Criminal Code and the Animal Welfare Act. The Criminal Code stipulates animal welfare offences (Chapter 17, Section 14), aggravated animal welfare offences (Chapter 17, Section 14a), and petty animal welfare offences (Chapter 17, Section 15). To be convicted of animal cruelty under the Criminal Code, the act or omission must be cruel or cause unnecessary suffering or pain to an animal. All animal welfare infringements, as provided for in the Animal Welfare Act (Section 109), do not necessarily require cruelty or unnecessary suffering or pain to the animal. For example, it may involve a failure to comply with a notification required under the Animal Welfare Act. An offence or infringement against an animal can be either an active act or an omission, and the criminalization derives its content from the substantive regulation, i.e., the Animal Welfare Act. Additionally, a person convicted of an offence or infringement against an animal may be banned from keeping animals and subject to forfeiture.

Keywords: Animal cruelty; Animal welfare offence; Animal welfare infringement; Ban on keeping of animals (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035324873
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