With the long-running international pressure over animal welfare exerted over Denmark, the European state is considering to ban sex with animals.
Denmark is one of the few European countries which still allows bestiality, after Norway, Sweden and Germany banned it, which has led to an increase rate in secretive animal sex tourism in Denmark.
In a statement to a Danish newspaper, Minister of Food and Agriculture Dan Jørgensen, who is planning to amend the Animal Welfare Act for next year, said that “he has decided that Denmark should ban sex with animals.”
He added that he made his decision after realizing that Denmark’s reputation has been harmed by allowing this practice, noting that “the most devastating thing is that in the majority of the cases, the animals are being attacked.”
A recent Gallup poll conducted in this regard, revealed 76 percent of Danes supported a ban on the legality of animal sex.
Although an amendment to the said act was already listed by Denmark's government, Mr Jørgensen's comments are an explicit hint that the change will specifically include the banning of bestiality.
However, animal ethics committee president Bengt Holst said the decision by Mr Jørgensen is unnecessary.
Mr Holst noted that the law already protects animals, and an existing legislation forbids animal suffering, pain, distress or lasting harm.