Spain gets a Directorate-General for Animal Protection

Facebook page Sergio García Torres

The Spanish government is creating a directorate-general for animal protection. With this, the Spanish government is taking a historic step towards better animal protection in the country. The new director is Sergio García Torres, from the PODEMOS coalition party. CAS International has been working closely with Sergio García for years in the fight for the end of bullfighting. He is a very passionate and beloved colleague and the person par excellence for this position.

The main objective of the directorate-general is to merge all competences on animal welfare under the same authority. Until now, these competencies have been the responsibility of four different ministries and the governments of the Autonomous Communities. The second most important goal is to incorporate the European animal welfare directives into the legal framework of Spain and to create an animal welfare law that must guarantee a respectful relationship with all living creatures.

Whether bullfighting will also fall under the responsibility of the directorate-general is as of yet unknown. Coalition party PODEMOS wants to end the subsidizing of bullfighting with public funding. They also want a ban on events where animals are maltreated.

Other objectives of the directorate-general include making legislation against the amputation of dogs’ tails and ears. The new government department also wants to work on a new identification system for pets to drastically reduce the abandonment of these animals. This is a major problem in Spain. The way in which pets are registered must also be improved at a national level. At this moment, every region has its own system. The situation is so dire that if you live in Madrid and you lose your dog in Toledo, it is impossible to locate the animal.

CAS International continues to work closely with Sergio García to improve animal welfare in Spain. Keep an eye on our website and social media for the latest developments in Spain.

Source:
El Diario