Argentina has broken with a tradition of well-being by once again allowing the export of live animals for slaughter. Decree 133/2025, signed in February, reverses a prohibition of more than five decades and raises a red flag in the country’s ecological and ethical conscience.
During these transfers, thousands of cattle are confined on ships for weeks, overcrowded, dehydrated, and exposed to diseases, without proper veterinary care. Likewise, incidents like shipwrecks or fires worsen the suffering and expose the animals to destinations with minimal animal welfare standards.
The decree repeals a historic 1973 regulation and sets back the progress made in animal legislation, strongly contrasting with the global trend that reduces or prohibits live animal trade for ethical, health, and environmental reasons.
Against the Global Current
While several countries are moving towards prohibition — United Kingdom, Germany, New Zealand, and others — Argentina decides to take a step back. It normalizes a practice considered outdated and cruel globally, favoring commercial interests over public health and respect for animals.
The opening extends beyond cattle farming: it also facilitates massive live exports for slaughter, beyond cleanly authorized equine or sports animal trade. This intensifies the inherent risks of transportation, with direct impacts on the animals’ quality of life and the country’s international perception.
Furthermore, the measure challenges the legal recognition of animals as sentient beings, present in several recent judgments, and touches sensitive nerves of producers, authorities, and civil society. Critics warn that the decree prioritizes economic performance over compassion and the common good.
Different Animal Protection Laws in Argentina
In recent years, Argentina has made progress in the legal recognition of animals. At the national level, Law 27.330 declares them as sentient beings, obliging the promotion of protection policies. Additionally, Law 27.605 prohibits the use of live animals in circuses and public shows.
In addition, numerous provinces and municipalities have their own regulations: Buenos Aires City regulates animal transportation and care, while provinces like Córdoba and Mendoza establish penalties for abuse and demand livestock welfare guidelines for rural activities.
However, the authorization of live exports reveals a regulatory gap and a contradiction between legislation and current practices. Animal protection groups and civil society are pushing for urgent adjustments to align current regulations with the already incorporated principles of protection and public health, demanding coherence and real commitment.
