A tough new animal welfare law is approved for the areas of the Costa Blanca and Valencia in Spain

The Valencian parliament has approved a new regional animal welfare bill that is tougher than the recently passed national legislation.

The law imposes penalties of up to €45,000 for the most serious cases of animal abuse, while the breeding and sale of pets is restricted to authorized professionals.

Unlike the national legislation, the new legislation also includes hunting dogs classified as companion animals.

The Valencian Minister of Agriculture, Isaura Navarro, said: “We have taken another step towards a more advanced and respectful society that guarantees the rights of animals and makes us a more just, modern and, above all, protective community.”

The head of AnimaNaturalis in Spain, Aida Gascon, described the Valencian law as ‘a step forward that places the region at the forefront of animal protection’.

The law pursues the notion of ‘zero culling’ for animals and classifies them as ‘sentient beings’ and not just pets.

Adoption is prioritized and the registration and identification of domestic animals will be required, with a period of six months for the owners to register them.

Penalties for not having a microchipped dog or for not taking proper care of a pet will range from €100 to €3,000.

Other examples of abuse include keeping animals permanently on a leash; supply of medicines without veterinary supervision; not giving enough food or water to animals; breed or sell them without a license; leaving them unattended in cars; or train them for fights.

The law specifies that spiked or electric choke collars may only be used by professionals and provides for the creation of a registry of individuals and groups that have committed infractions or crimes of animal abuse.

Certain sports activities that involve cruel treatment of animals are prohibited, as well as traveling circus shows with any type of species.

Bullfighting does not fall within the scope of the law and is covered by separate regulations.

Other measures included are cat identification and feline colony management and sterilization for population control.

Cats must be at least one year old before being used to produce litters and cannot be eight years old, with a minimum period between births of 12 months.

Other measures are a more exhaustive regulation of the implantation of the identification chip or the creation of an advisory and consultative council on the protection of companion animals, with representatives of veterinarians, security forces and associative entities.

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