New Spanish draft royal decree on zoological centers for pet animals

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New Spanish draft royal decree on zoological centers for pet animals

8 April 2021
ANDA
News
Animal shelters, pet shops, and the like are considered "zoological nucleus" and must comply with the Spanish legislation that governs the authorization procedure. A zoological nucleus is any center, establishment, or facility that houses, maintains, raises, or sells animals, whether or not this is its primary activity. Unfortunately, the only state legislation on this subject that is currently in effect dates from 1975 and is clearly out of date, harming companion animals.

It appears that the legislation on zoological centers applicable to companion animals in Spain will finally be updated. 
The current situation is one of complete lack of coordination between various requirements according to Autonomous Communities, resulting in a state of chaos that has severely caused harm to companion animals. This legislation is critical for them because it will define what a zoological nuclei is (for example, how many animals are required to obtain that authorization), what conditions it must meet (health and animal protection), and what activities can be carried out depending on the type and authorization of the center. These ramifications could be significant, as it will be possible to demand that only those with a zoological center authorization for that function can sell animals from that point forward. This is one of the claims that ANDA has been requesting for more than 15 years.

The adoption of the European Regulation on Animal Health created the possibility of including this matter within the central administration's legislative powers. The General Directorate of Animal Rights has now announced its intention to take on this significant legislative task.