An argumentational analysis of the German legislation for animal welfare suggests that the concept "Ethischer Tierschutz", declared as a state objective in 2002, allows the legislative body greater scope than that utilized so far. The legislator would, in principle, be able to regulate some problem areas which have been repeatedly addressed by the public as well as the ethics. A comparison with Switzerland and the EU-member Austria shows that both countries' animal welfare legislations already reach beyond a strictly suffering-based protection framework by employing additional anthropocentric arguments. The concept "Ethischer Tierschutz" would make this approach likewise feasible in Germany.