Recognition, recognized training and veterinary qualifications, essential pillars for the feasibility of welfare legislation

AVEM states that only in this way will the legislation be useful and effective and offers its full cooperation to the Director General for Animal Rights in regulatory development and its implementation in local administrations.

Juan Carlos Ortiz, President of AVEM.

“The difficulties encountered in introducing and implementing new legislation for the protection of animal rights and welfare have given us the opportunity to meet with José Ramon Becerra, the recently appointed Director-General of Animal Rights, to inform him of our understanding of the current situation. “to convey concerns at the municipal level regarding this issue,” explains Juan Carlos Ortiz, president of the Spanish Association of Municipal Veterinarians (AVEM), who met with José Ramón Becerra along with Vice President Begoña Rodero at the headquarters of the Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030. met up with. “If we want a useful and effective legislation that protects the safety and rights of animals, we must work in three areas that are fundamental pillars for its feasibility: animal identification, accredited training and veterinary qualifications, ” he says.

AVEM had the opportunity to address, among other issues, the role played by municipal veterinarians in the development of the law and its application. He explains, “We convey to the Director our concern about the great difficulties, in some cases insurmountable, that city councils face in carrying out some of the powers and responsibilities assigned to them by the new law.”

“As civil servants, with recognized training in animal protection and welfare, it is up to municipal veterinarians to exercise the functions of inspection and monitoring of compliance established by Law 7/2023 on the protection of rights and welfare. Having animals., at the level of local administration in general and city councils in particular,” Ortiz details.

The Director has always valued the work done by municipal veterinarians and is aware of the limitations and shortcomings of many municipalities. He listened carefully to the information and proposals we presented to him from AVEM, understanding that he was in a fundamental position to know first-hand the problems being raised for the application and implementation of the new legislation and, at the same time, for companion animals. The only real and official data obtained from city councils regarding the management of.

mandatory animal identification

“At AVEM we placed special emphasis on the urgent need to comply with the mandatory identification of all pets. Furthermore, we expressed the need for professionalization through adequate and accredited training of all municipal and volunteer staff who are responsible for the care, management and “Participate in the control of companion animals in the municipalities,” he explains.

“We also inform the Ministry of the urgent need to establish procedures to enable veterinary professionals who can attend and provide service in municipalities to meet all the obligations and responsibilities of the new law. This point is extremely important because only 7.6% (1,319 municipalities) of municipalities with a census population of more than 5,000 inhabitants in 2022 have a municipal veterinarian in their service as an official or interim. In words, 92.4% of municipalities with a population of more than 5,000 inhabitants do so. “They do not have official employees with recognized training in animal protection and welfare (veterinarians) as required by law,” Ortiz concluded.

The President of AVEM offered the Director-General of Animal Rights advice, support and cooperation from our Association for the regulatory development of the law that came into force last September, as well as to design and develop complementary measures to address the three main existing shortcomings. Offered. Allow municipalities to comply with and enforce the law.