Shameful Italian transposition of EU legislation on domestic animals
23.9.2010
Question for written answer E-7899/2010
to the Commission
Rule 117
Cristiana Muscardini (PPE) , Niccolò Rinaldi (ALDE) , Gianluca Susta (S&D) , Crescenzio Rivellini (PPE) , Potito Salatto (PPE) , Patrizia Toia (S&D) , Francesca Balzani (S&D) , Jörg Leichtfried (S&D) and Sirpa Pietikäinen (PPE)
In transposing EU legislation on domestic animals, the Italian legislator, in an amendment in the Senate, has abolished penalties for those who, for purely aesthetic or utilitarian reasons, remove the claws of cats, cut the vocal cords of dogs or amputate the ears and tails of pets.
In addition to being a shameful practice and a crime in the opinion of nearly all European vets, the binding provisions in the EU legislation have been circumvented by means of an amendment which is supposed to provide a balance between animalists, on the one hand, and breeders, on the other.
1. Is the Commission aware of this situation?
2. Can it intervene in the legislative process and ask the Italian Government to transpose the entire directive, thereby preventing domestic animals from having to undergo thousands of pointless operations and a great deal of suffering?
OJ C 243 E, 20/08/2011