The Council of Ministers will approve today in the second round the animal protection law, which increases the penalties for abuse

Circuses with animals, cockfights, pigeon shooting or marketing and exhibiting dogs in pet stores are prohibited

MADRID, 1 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Council of Ministers will approve this Monday, in the second round, the draft law for the protection, rights and welfare of animals, which toughens the penalties for mistreatment through a reform of the Penal Code, according to sources from the Ministry of Social Rights. , department behind the initiative.

In turn, the use of animals in activities and shows in which they may suffer harm, cruelty or death, such as cockfighting or pigeon shooting, is prohibited.

In this way, the legislative project returns to the Council of Ministers six months after the first approval and will be ready to begin its parliamentary process. This is one of the central initiatives for United We Can, minority partner of the coalition, which already demanded its speeding up last year.

In the department headed by Ione Belarra, they emphasize that it is a "pioneering" standard to "protect and guarantee" the rights of animals, establishing a common legal framework for the entire territory, and its objectives are "to put an end to mistreatment, abandonment and sacrifice of animals.

Thus, the draft contemplates the hardening of the crime of mistreatment, which in the event of death results in sentences of up to 24 months, which will rise to 36 months in the event that more than one aggravating circumstance occurs.

In addition, all vertebrate animals are included in these assumptions, such as wild boars, whose mistreatment did not carry criminal charges until now.

The law also contemplates the prohibition of the slaughter of companion animals (principle of 'zero slaughter'), except for health and euthanasia reasons.

It also strengthens the fight against the abandonment of animals, since it is estimated that each year in Spain some 300,000 animals are left to their own devices, which is equivalent to 800 per day. For this, it is established that all pets must be identified and breeding can only be carried out by registered and professional breeders.

On the other hand, circuses with animals and the commercialization of dogs, cats and ferrets in pet stores, as well as their display and exposure to the public for commercial purposes, are prohibited.

Likewise, the zoos and dolphinariums will be converted, as planned in the draft, into recovery centers for native species.

The regulatory text already indicated in February that in Spain one of every three households has a pet and 13 million animals are registered and identified, but it was estimated that half of the existing pets are outside official control, at not being legally identified, with the risk that this entails, not only for their adequate protection but also for their own safety and public health.

Animals from bullfighting shows, production animals, animals for experimentation and research, including teaching, are excluded from this legal reform.

However, hunting dogs are included, which must be registered as such in the new Register of Companion Animals and must be linked to the hunting license of their holder and provides for their sterilization if they are kept outside the homes or may have uncontrolled contact with others, among other measures, or if dogs of different sexes live together in the same space.