• The Institute of Community Sustainability (ICS) has taken its concern over the consumption of dog and cat meat to the Supreme Court, seeking the enforcement of Section 303 of the Criminal Offences Act against the slaughter and consumption of companion animals.

• ICS argues that the unregulated trade poses serious animal welfare and public health risks, including the spread of diseases such as rabies and the alleged theft of pets for meat.

• The Supreme Court’s ruling could clarify whether existing Ghanaian law already prohibits the practice or whether Parliament must pass specific legislation to ban the slaughter and consumption of dogs and cats.

The Institute of Community Sustainability (ICS) has taken Ghana’s its concern over the slaughter and consumption of dogs and cats to the Supreme Court, asking the court to compel authorities to enforce an existing law prohibiting the practice.

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The environmental and animal welfare advocacy group says it has filed a suit seeking the strict enforcement of Section 303 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), as amended by the Criminal Code (Amendment) Act, 1998 (Act 554), insisting that the law should be applied to stop the slaughter and consumption of dogs and cats.

According to ICS, the widespread killing of dogs and cats for meat raises serious concerns about animal welfare, public health and accounts for the growing theft of companion animals.

ICS argues that dogs and cats are intelligent animals with strong emotional bonds to their owners and deserve legal protection rather than being treated as food.

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The group’s Executive Director, Eric Jerry Aidoo, said the Supreme Court’s intervention is needed to ensure existing laws are properly enforced.

At the heart of the case is whether Section 303 of the Criminal Offences Act already prohibits the slaughter and consumption of dogs and cats.

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ICS maintains that the law is already in place but has not been effectively enforced. The organisation is therefore asking the Supreme Court to clarify the legal position and direct the appropriate institutions to apply the law.

Aside animal welfare, ICS says the trade in dog and cat meat presents significant public health risks. The organisation argues that the unregulated slaughter and handling of companion animals increase the risk of transmitting zoonotic diseases, including rabies, to humans.