Dear Sir, Madam,
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Within the European Union, significant progress has been made with regards to animal welfare. The Protocol on Animal Welfare, Art. 13 of the Treaty , the Action Plan on Welfare of Animals 2006-2010 and the initiative of Written Declaration No 26 on Dog Management all attest to that. Until recently it seemed that the focus within the EU has been mainly on farm animals and other animals within the food chain. However, there seems to be a development to broaden this scope. As stated in the evaluation of the first Action Plan, “with regard to Art. 13 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, every activity to ensure and protect the wellbeing of animals must, as a matter of principle, apply to all animals”.
It is with this in mind, that we would like to ask your attention and support for the Spanish greyhounds, known as galgos. Despite the relentless efforts of numerous animal welfare organizations, as well as petitions and letters to the President of Spain, their situation remains deplorable. Below is just an overview of this situation. A short outline is also included in the folder.
The situation concerning the galgos seems complex. The so-called galgueros, those who hunt and race with the galgos, have great vested interests and in this regard a galgo can have great value. Therefore thousands upon thousands are being bred by (amateur) breeders to gain the few that might be most profitable. The rest is dumped and discarded, often still in an extreme and cruel manner, or brought en masse to the killing stations at the end of the hunting season. Those who have outrun their short success await the same fate. No regulations concerning (amateur) breeding are in place. On the contrary, hunting with hounds is considered such a cultural stronghold, that there is excessive social and legal tolerance in this matter.
On the other hand, galgos still suffer from a cultural stigma. Some progress has been made to change this by the Spanish animal welfare organizations. But outside the racing course and hunting fields, they are still considered by many as vermin, unsuitable as a companion animal and unworthy of care and consideration. As a result, they fall through the loopholes of legislation and many galgos that are not disposed of, live in atrocious circumstances. Malnourished, with hardly any room to move, chained, abused and sometimes literally kept in the dark. Both on a regional as a national level some regulation that could apply, is in place. However, the variety in legislation on a regional level as well as the arbitrary interpretations are obstacles. And as on animal rescue worker remarked: “The problem is not the variety of Spanish laws, but the disregard of it”.
With the drafting of the new Strategy for Animal Welfare, we ask you to call upon Spain to take its responsible place at the table and not to let the galgos be excluded again from the high animal welfare standards the EU strives for. Because, though we stated that the situation is complex, from a proper point of view it is simple. Thousands of hounds suffer senselessly year upon year due to the trivial pursuit of men.
Looking forward to your response and support, we remain,
Yours sincerely,
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