The animal welfare community gave a great battle recently, inside and outside the Parliament. Our Federation was the leader of this battle.
The forces that selflessly struggle for animal rights and animal protection achieved a big victory against various interests that profit from animals, a part of the veterinarians and the Administrative Council of the Greek Veterinarian’s Union, as well as the vote-hunting politicians of our country.
We all watched this “theatre of the irrational” in the Parliament. Mainly two issues were discussed:
The provision that brings back the wild animals shows (dolphins) which were banned in 2012 and the effort to bring back the hunter dogs’ mutilation which was prohibited in 1992!!!
After the strong protest of the entire animal welfare community, many bodies and few members of parliament, the effort to bring back animal shows failed (it is however already being indirectly introduced through a draft law of the ministry of Health). The said provision on animal mutilation promoting “well-being”, supported by members of all political parties, also failed.
In fact they were asking for the article 28 paragraph 1 of the Constitution to be broken by breaking the European Treaty that prohibits beautifying mutilations and is in force since 1992 !!!!! . They also wanted to ignore the opining of the Law Council of the State and the minister’s signature in it .
This is breaking the law in order to make profit and hunt for votes.
With these amendments important changes of the law 4039/12 were voted , as a result of the actions and the pressure of our Federation:
1) The penalties for passive abuse will be the same as in active abuse, which means that the penalties of law 1197/81 will be equal to the penalties of law 4039/12
2) Penalization of the European Treaty 2017/92
3) Change in the treatment of “aggressive” animals, so that they are not euthanized.
4) Obligatory electronic marking of sheepdogs, which were exempted in the law 4039.
5) Elimination of old-fashioned views on the kalaazar disease and the obligation of municipal authorities to take on treatment cost.
6) The five-year period during which mutilated dogs are not reproduced is removed and the prohibition will be in force immediately.
7) It is prohibited that dogs and cats are sold in open air places (our Federation had asked that for all animals).
8) The hunter in the five member committee is replaced by a dog trained.
9) Removal of the unnecessary suggestion that passports are controlled by veterinary authorities.
And finally
10) A breeding permission will be demanded for the first female dog for all those selling puppies, either they are professional or hobby breeders. The permission will be issued if the conditions like health, registering etc are met. In this way it will be possible to control where the puppies end up and no ill puppies will be born, that would easily be dumped…
Unfortunately, however, the big tank of producing new stray animals are the uncontrolled births of private owners, as they have no obligations by the law, so we do not know what happened to the puppies/kittens and whether some of them ended up in rubbish bins, fields, streets etc.
We do not understand why our simple, easy and free of cost proposal was not accepted. Our proposal was to force animal owners to submit a signed document in their municipal offices, including their id information, the information of the animal and the new owner so that animals can be traced and the State knows where each animal comes from and where it ends up…
And, of course, with all our powers we continue our struggle against uncontrolled births, so that we fight the root of the problem. We also control our struggle against barrel-animals, which face a life-long abuse destroying the reputation of our country. We are determined to continue struggling for the ban of animal trade in pet shop and a number of other suggestions that were not accepted.
Nothing can stop our struggle because it comes from deep in our hearts, from our deep love to animals, to which we give everything we have, as well as all our free time.
Many of us have given, literally, all our lives.
These victories give us the courage to continue.
The Pan-Hellenic Animal Welfare and Environment Federation