On 28th November 2024, Les Corts de Valencia, the parliament of the Valencian Community, one of Spain’s autonomous regions, approved significant changes to its animal welfare legislation, once again allowing circus performances with animals, as long as no wild animals are used. This measure reverses the total ban on circuses with animals that had been established by the previous Valencian government with Law 2/2023.
On 22nd February 2023, the Valencian Parliament approved the Animal Welfare Law of the Valencian Community, replacing the previous law that was almost 30 years old. This new law imposed penalties of up to 45,000 euros for the most serious cases of abuse and regulated the sale and breeding of companion animals, something that was limited to authorised professionals. But now, with the political shift in the region that is now dominated by right-wing parties, some of those gains are being lost.
With the support of the right-wing parties PP and Vox, the new administrative simplification law of the Generalitat Valenciana (the government of the region) introduces modifications that represent a serious setback concerning the protection policies in force since 2019. According to statements by PP sources to the press about this regulatory modification, not only circuses will be allowed to force domestic animals to participate in their shows, but also the use of domestic animals will be allowed in public events such as parades or medieval markets.
Valencian biologist Rosa Más told the Diario Siglo XXI, “In circuses, the presence of all animals should be prohibited, without distinction, because forcing them to participate in shows is totally contrary to their nature; for that reason elements of punishment are used to subdue them, because it is something they would never do voluntarily.”
The approved amendment also includes modifications to the procedures related to the euthanasia of animals, expanding the assumptions under which it can be carried out.
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