AFTER THE HOLIDAYS, THE ANIMALS BILL

Filenews 30 July 2020 -Angelos Nikolaou

The major changes in animal protection and welfare brought about by the Animal Welfare and Protection (Amendment) Act, currently being debated in the House of Representatives, will not be implemented immediately since yesterday's session of the Committee on the Environment decided that the article-based debate on a revised text should begin in September.

Any attempts to approve the bill before the House summer recess have not been made.

In order to facilitate the work of the Commission, those involved who wish to submit their final views on any possible changes they wish were invited to submit their final views in August. This is because, with the resumption of the Commission's session, the debate will take place in the presence of only the state bodies of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Commissioner for Volunteering and the Legal Service.

Yesterday the representatives of the non-governmental organisations were placed on the amended text. It is noted that the new bill introduces important provisions, including a large increase in animal cruelty penalties (from €1,700 to €10,000, in the event of a first conviction, and from €3,400 to €20,000 in the case of a second or subsequent conviction) and the strengthening of the operating framework of the Cyprus Coordinating Committee on Animal Welfare and the Provincial Animal Welfare Committees, which are composed of representatives of various bodies and organisations. The Bill also introduces new provisions to improve animal welfare conditions in our country, namely a ban on the permanent tethering of dogs and their detention on terraces and balconies.