At a critical moment for the government coalition due to the controversy over the reform of the law of only yes is yes, Unidas Podemos has given in and voted this Thursday in favor of the Animal Welfare law, despite the fact that they exclude themselves from the It regulates the hunting dogs by an amendment of the PSOE, which stirred up the purple ones who even threatened to knock it down. In this way, the law has gone ahead this afternoon with a tight majority (174 yeses, for 167 noes and 7 abstentions) thanks to the vote in favor of regular members of the Executive such as ERC and EH Bildu, to which the CUP has joined.
The Lower House has also approved the modification of the Criminal Code on animal abuse, with 178 votes in favor, 165 against and 5 abstentions.
In the debate prior to the vote on the amendments and the opinion, the deputy of Unidas Podemos Juan López de Uralde has charged against the PSOE amendment that he has described as an "amendment of shame" and that he has attributed to the "powerful lobby of the hunting", and has expressed surprise at the inability of the Socialists to deal with it. In spite of everything, López de Uralde has recognized that despite "not making sense" to leave hunting dogs out of his training, which has promoted the law from the Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030 directed by Ione Belara, he is going to vote for favor of the law because "there are many advances that are contemplated. "It is a good law that is going to advance in favor of animals," he asserted to the disappointment of the right-wing bench that saw the possibility that the Executive could not carry out a bill for the first time so far. of legislature.
Minister Belarra, in her turn to defend the law, has indicated that for the first time Spain will have an "animal rights law that serves as a protection umbrella throughout the State, legislation that will begin to put an end to the feeling of impunity for that animal abusers in Spain have enjoyed for far too long". "There are more and more people who think that animals have the right not to be mistreated or abandoned", added the minister, who has judged that "this is a country that loves animals and today we are taking a step forward towards a legislation that lives up to that sensibility. Regarding the PSOE amendment, he wanted to make it clear that it has gone "as far as we have been able with the strength we have" while warning his partners that leaving hunting dogs out of the norm "is leaving in the impunity for the abusers of hunting dogs".
The groups of Esquerra, CUP and EH Bildu have joined the government majority to give the green light to the norm.
The ERC deputy Joan Capdevila has criticized the content of the regulation but that for them "it will not be" although he has regretted that the PSOE has presented self-amendments to the bill approved by the Government that leave hunting dogs out and has regretted -quoting Pedro Vallín- that the Government "has not been able to" with the hunting lobby but it has been able to impose taxes on oil companies and banks.
From EH-Bildu, Iñaki Ruiz de Pinedo, has advanced his favorable vote despite the fact that they still do not understand the exclusion of hunting dogs. "We would like this law to be for all animals equally and we will continue working to make it so. Today we are going to take a step forward even if it falls short," he announced.
Likewise, the CUP deputy Albert Botran has indicated that he will vote in favor of the animal welfare law despite the fact that the PSOE has wanted to leave out hunting dogs, a deficiency that is compensated with other advances that the norm includes in aspects such as zero culling or dropout reduction.
In contrast, PP, Vox, Cs, PDeCat, PNV, Más País/Compromís and the Canary Islands Coalition have announced their vote against. In the case of Más País, they see the law as insufficient and in particular have charged against the PSOE amendment that leaves hunting and farm dogs out of the norm. The PDECat and the PNV, due to the invasion of powers that it entails. And the right warns of the negative effects that the norm can have in the rural environment. Junts, BNG, Compromís and Teruel Existe have abstained.
Although at the beginning of this week the spokeswoman for the PSOE, Pilar Alegría, took it for granted that the regulation was going to be approved, yesterday Podemos -together with ERC, Bildu and Más País- raised the pressure on the Socialists with an amendment to include the hunting dogs in the text, a point that the PSOE rejected, so it could not prosper. Despite everything, the minor partners of the coalition, as well as ERC and Bildu, have given in their positions and have allowed the regulation to go ahead.
In addition to the exclusion of hunting dogs and other animals from the scope of the law, other novelties of the norm in its passage through Congress is that the use of animals in pilgrimages and fairs when it is very hot or in which elements are used fireworks will be prohibited. Regulations will determine the temperature ranges in which it is allowed to use pets in these cases.
In addition, a transitory provision of the bill that forced dog owners to take a training course for their possession within a period of two years from the entry into force of the regulatory development of the standard is deleted. However, this course will be mandatory for those who want to own a dog once the law comes into force.
It will also be prohibited to "use any gadget, mechanism or utensil intended to limit or prevent" the mobility of animals except by veterinary prescription.
Other novelties are that the municipalities will have to determine "places specifically authorized for the recreation" of the dogs, that the transport of animals destined for sports or recreational activities (including hunting) is done in good conditions and that the Government prepares a project of great ape law
That the stores have a period of 12 months before the sale of animals is prohibited and the exclusion of animals used in veterinary clinical research make up other amendments agreed between the groups.
Likewise, the law will allow the use of cetaceans in "shows, commercial or free interactions" if they are with "their caregivers or related professionals." Upon the entry into force of the regulation, these animals may remain "until their death" in their locations (for example, dolphinariums) "when they cannot be reintroduced into the natural environment."
