Spain will have a state plan against the abandonment of pets that will entail, among other measures, “mass identification” through microchips (dogs and cats) or rings (birds) throughout the territory. This was announced by the head of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030, Pablo Bustinduy, at the IV Congress of Animal Rights organized by the Ministry. “Empathizing with animal suffering, considering animals as part of our families and our environments, is building a more just and humane country,” said Bustinduy at the closing of the event that brought together experts on the subject.
Spain already has an Animal Welfare law approved in 2023 that has three fundamental axes: “zero sacrifice, zero abandonment and zero abuse.” The plan aims to give another push to the “national challenge of ending abandonment.” “The legal requirements are benchmarks at an international level” but “we must work so that they begin to be noticed in the palpable reality of our homes, public life and our parties and celebrations.”
The plan will also include regulations that “will allow better control of pet breeding activities” in order to “restrict irregular breeding,” as reported by the Ministry in a press release. Another leg will focus on the adoption of animals, an activity that “will be promoted at the state level with strategies, awareness campaigns” and aid to entities dedicated to the protection and shelter of abandoned animals. It is not, says the Ministry, only about fighting abandonment but about guaranteeing “responsible ownership” of the animals.
There are no official figures on how many animals are left homeless each year in Spain. The Affinity Foundation collects data annually and publishes it in a report. 285,000 dogs and cats were collected in 2022 by shelters throughout the territory, according to the latest update, collected by Efe.
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