In 2022 we will focus on the formulation of actions for the protection of productive animals, said the President of the Republic, Nicos Anastasiades, in his address to the 4th Pancyprian Congress of the Party for Cyprus Animals.
In his address, which was delivered by the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Costas Kadis, the President of the Republic said that in our country there are about 4 million animals at any given time. productive animals and it is necessary to ensure that all animals intended to serve human needs, during their lives, live in appropriate conditions and are treated well by humans.
He also mentioned that in the Integrated Animal Protection Framework of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, special reference is made to the need to improve the welfare of productive animals. Moreover, this is also dictated by the new EU policies, such as the Farm to Plate Strategy, he added.
The President noted that an amendment bill to the Dog Law has also been prepared and forwarded to the Legal Service for legislative review with a view to improving it and clarifying the provisions on both the welfare and ownership of dogs.
The President of the Republic also said, among other things, that "in recognition of the valuable work of animal welfare volunteers, we grant an annual state grant to animal welfare organisations, which has doubled since 2018, from 50.000 to 100,000 euros per year".
"We have for the second consecutive year proceeded togrant Extraordinary State Sponsorship to Animal Welfare Organisations, which operate animal shelters, for the purpose of assisting them to adapt and comply with the new Regulations for the Protection of Dogs and Cats in Kennels, Hotels, Shelters and Temporary Care Facilities", he said.
He added that "we have made a grant of emergency financial assistance in 2020, to registered Animal Welfare Organisations, for the purpose of feeding stray animals during the period of restrictive measures due to coronavirus. "
"We have prepared a special Plan totalling €1.5 million, through which local authorities' cooperations will be supported over the next three years in order to create regional stray dog shelters in accordance with the Dog Law and the standards for the welfare of animals in these shelters", President Anastasiades noted.
He further noted that "with the aim of reducing the stray cat population, we continued the Annual Pan-Canadian Cat Neutering Plan with a budget of 75.000 euros, through which approximately 1500 cats are neutered per year" and that "aiming to reduce the number of abandoned and stray dogs, we continued the implementation of the Pancyprian Free Dog Tagging and Registration Scheme, which provides incentives to dog owners to tag their animals. To date, through this scheme about 17,000 dogs have been tagged," he noted.
He also mentioned the pieces of legislation that have strengthened the institutional framework for animal welfare, such as the Protection and Welfare of Animals (Amendment) Act 2020, and the Animal Possession and Sale of Animals Regulations 2021.
He also said thatthe Animal Police was created pto target animal cruelty issues and that efforts continue, in consultation with the Legal Service, to promote other important legislation aimed at further regulating individual issues as quickly as possible, such as the operation of zoos through the Wildlife Conservation in Establishments Displaying Animals in Public and the establishment of minimum welfare requirements for dogs kept privately for non-commercial purposes through relevant Regulations.
He further noted that "we have strengthened the relationship between the Ministry of Agriculture Rural Development and Environment and the Veterinary Services and the Police in matters of animal protection and welfare through the preparation of a Protocol for the investigation of complaints / cases of animal abuse or neglect" co-signed by the Ministers of Agriculture Rural Development and Environment and Justice and Public Order on 1 June 2021.
The President of the Republic expressed deep appreciation and thanks to the animal welfare volunteersfor their valuable work. Referring to the President of the Cyprus Party for Animals, Kyriakos Kyriakou, he said that "many of the policies and programmes currently being implemented have been shaped on the basis of his own experienced suggestions and opinions, while the network of contacts that he has developed over time with institutions and organisations within and outside the country, allows the extraction of useful information and the formation of a fuller picture of good practices implemented in other countries on animal treatment and protection issues".
Source: KYPE
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