At last, activists for animal rights in Cuba and the rest of the population will know the content of Decree-Law 31 on Animal Welfare, which this Saturday was published in the Gaceta Oficial.
The norm, approved on February 26 by the Cuban Council of State, regulates “the principles, duties, rules and purposes regarding the care, health and use of animals, to guarantee their well-being, with a focus on One Health,” which includes the interdependence between human and animal health, the Agencia Cubana de Noticias news agency reported.
Cubanos amantes de los animales y @MINAGCuba celebran la publicación del Decreto-Ley No.31 “De Bienestar Animal” y su Reglamento el Decreto No. 38, normas que sustentan la instrumentación jurídica de la Política de #BienestarAnimal de #Cuba.@GustavoRollerohttps://t.co/CgmVncEUMW
— Ministerio de la Agricultura de Cuba (@MinagCuba) April 10, 2021
The Decree-Law defines animal welfare as “the adequate physical and mental state of an animal in relation to the conditions in which it lives and dies.”
It also prohibits people from inducing fights between animals of any species, and regulates the activity of veterinary doctors.
The regulations establish that individuals and entities, owners, holders and possessors of animals, “must satisfy their basic needs, according to their species and category, and they are also required to register them,” says the source.
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Meanwhile, it gives the National Center for Animal Health of the Ministry of Agriculture (MINAG) the responsibility of directing, executing, implementing and controlling the policy of the Cuban State and government regarding animal welfare.
The Decree-Law also stipulates that pets that remain outside the homes must have conditions to shelter themselves and have enough space for their movement.
It clarifies that animals abandoned by their owners and those that roam on public roads will be collected by the competent authority.
According to the regulations, people who sell, import and export animals, must have licenses or authorizations for these activities.
Decree 38: Regulation of Decree-Law 31 on Animal Welfare, published in the Gaceta, defines as violations subjecting animals to abuse of any type, noncompliance of any of the obligations established in the Decree-Law, and inducing a confrontation between animals of any species, except for those authorized in the Regulation itself, and causing the death of an animal in breach of the established provisions.
Working group created in Cuba to implement Animal Welfare Policy
Other violations defined in the norm are circulating on public roads with an animal without complying with the established safety and hygiene measures and not collecting solid waste in case they urinate or defecate on the road and public spaces.
The sanctions for people and institutions that commit infractions include fines of between 500 and 4,000 pesos, “regardless of the civil or criminal liability that the offender may incur,” the norm indicates.
Both the Decree-Law on Animal Welfare and the Regulations will enter into force 90 days from April 10, the date on which it was published in the Gaceta Oficial.
