Protests throughout Spain over the animal rights law that excludes hunting dogs

This Sunday protests have been held in 44 cities in Spain for the exclusion of hunting dogs from the new animal welfare law that Congress will vote on Thursday.

Hundreds of people gathered at the Arc de Triomf in Barcelona and in the Plaza de Callao in Madrid.

They are angry that the welfare measure was watered down last fall to exclude animals involved in traditional rural hunting activities.

The PSOE-led government made changes to the bill amid fears it could cost it rural support in this year’s local and national elections.

Dogs are used to track or trap animals such as deer, wild boar and rabbits, and the hunting industry, according to Deloitte, generates more than €5 billion a year.

The president of the animal rights group Pacma, Javier Luna, said: “The PSOE proposal is nonsense because you can’t differentiate some dogs from others.”

“Society demands better treatment for animals,” he told protesters in Madrid.

The leader of the left-wing Mas País party, Iñigo Errejon, said: “The PSOE has given in to lobbying and we ask them to reconsider because all dogs have to have the same rights.”

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