[Animals] Cuba approves decree law on animal welfare

[#Steeven.™]

In an interview with the Director of Animal Health Yobani Gutiérrez Ravelo, he explains that as a result of the work carried out by the Temporary, intersectoral and multidisciplinary Working Group constituted in January 2020 and made up of forty-two representatives of different Organizations of the Central Administration of the State (OACE), research centers, producers, breeders and associations related to animal breeding and production, as well as the decisive and enriching participation of our people, through different means of communication with opinions, suggestions and recommendations, this 26th of February 2021, the Decree-Law of Animal Welfare was approved by the Council of State, a legal norm that supports the implementation of the Animal Welfare Policy in Cuba, approved on January 19, 2021.

With the approval of the Decree-Law of Animal Welfare, a response is given to the numerous opinions, expressed in the po[CENSORED]r consultation process of the draft Constitution of the Republic of Cuba, on the need for the existence of a specific legislation on animal welfare.

As background to this Decree-Law, it should be remembered that on May 22, 2018, the Policy for the Improvement of the Animal Health System in the country was approved, which included among its principles the development of the Policy and legal norm (Decree- Law) to guarantee animal welfare as an indispensable component of animal health under the global focus “One Health”. The Ordinary Official Gazette No. 11 of January 29, 2021 published the legal regulations for the implementation of the Animal Health Policy.

In the international order, Cuba has been a member since 1972 of the World Organization for Animal Health and welcomes the international standards, norms, guidelines and recommendations of said Organization, which assumed the leadership of the science of animal welfare and established its regulations in the Code Terrestrial Animal Health.

Since 2000, the country has been working on the development of animal welfare at the initiative of veterinary professionals, the Cuban Association of Veterinary Medicine and the Directorate of Animal Health, through the National Committee for Animal Welfare of Cuba (CONBAC) and links were established with the National Association for the Protection of Animals and Plants (Aniplant), as well as other civil society organizations recognized by the Ministry of Justice related to animals, related institutions, the media, students of different educations and the po[CENSORED]tion. usually.

The Decree-Law approved today has as fundamental premises the conservation of biological diversity; the comprehensive general culture of the po[CENSORED]tion (including knowledge, ethical values, awareness and respect for animals) and the need to avoid mistreatment, abuse and cruelty to animals, as sentient beings who experience pain and pleasure and that are part of the human-animal-environment interface.

The essential proposals of the Decree-Law of Animal Welfare in Cuba are aimed at regulating the principles, duties, rules and purposes regarding the care, health and use of animals to guarantee their welfare, with a focus on One Health, assuming welfare as animal: the physical and mental state of an animal in relation to the conditions in which it lives and dies.

The approved legal norm establishes the responsibilities of the State Bodies and associative forms related to the welfare of animals and the principles that govern this activity. In addition, the individual responsibility that the owners, holders and holders of animals have to satisfy their basic needs and the obligations of the breeders in this regard.

The Decree-Law defines the obligations of veterinary doctors to exercise veterinary assistance, under strict state regulations and the control of the competent authority in order to guarantee the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and control of diseases that affect animal welfare and compliance with disease prevention and control programs.

The need to comply with the biosecurity and zootechnical management standards is ratified in the establishments dedicated to the breeding of productive animals, according to the characteristics of each species. The body of the norm establishes the obligations that people related to productive and working animals must comply with to avoid any form of animal abuse and ensure their well-being under normal conditions or in disaster situations.

In the text of the document a chapter is dedicated to companion animals, defining them as: the species that are domesticated to accompany people or with the aim of their enjoyment. The conditions that they require when they remain in the exterior spaces of the house and the obligations that their owners, possessors or holders have to provide their well-being are established.

Regarding the control of street po[CENSORED]tions, the Decree-Law confirms that the management of street canine po[CENSORED]tions is carried out according to what is regulated by the Ministry of Public Health in the National Rabies Control and Prevention Program and establishes the conduct to be followed with the stray animals once they have been collected and transferred to observation centers.

The standard provides the requirements that must be met for the use of animals in sports, entertainment and exhibition, approval that will be the authority of the competent animal health authority. The obligations of the natural and legal persons responsible for these animals are established, in order to avoid the occurrence of acts that may damage their health and well-being. With what is regulated in the standard, the aim is to strengthen the surveillance, protection and security systems and the procedures that guarantee the welfare of the animals exposed in zoos, aquariums and fairgrounds.

The use of animals for experimental purposes is dealt with in great depth in the body of the Decree-Law; Its content establishes the obligation to operate the Institutional Ethics Committee for the Use and Care of Animals in the institutions where they are used and regulates the basic principles that the aforementioned institutions must comply with in order to preserve the welfare of animals. live used in experimentation.

Under the precepts of this legal document, the conditions for the use of live animals in technical and professional education are established, establishing as a requirement that teachers must have professional qualifications in veterinary medicine, biological sciences or other related. In the same way, the hygienic-sanitary and biosecurity conditions that the facilities where the animals are kept are regulated. It is the primary objective of the legal document to promote, in the study plans of general education and in the po[CENSORED]tion, issues related to the care, protection and welfare of animals, with an emphasis on new generations through different methods and means of communication .

The Decree-Law updates the sanitary-veterinary requirements for the commercialization, transportation, housing, subjection and slaughter of animals. The obligations that people must meet to be authorized in these activities are established, as well as the hygienic-sanitary requirements that must be ensured in the means of transport, both for terrestrial and aquatic animal species, and in the facilities for stabling and slaughter. thereof.

Regarding the slaughter of animals, it is established that it is carried out compassionately and quickly, avoiding pain and stress, guaranteeing correct handling and humane killing. The standard regulates the aspects that must be complied with for the slaughter of animals destined for human consumption and slaughter for prophylactic purposes in case of presentation of serious diseases of animals, of rapid spread and in emergencies or health contingencies that justify it, complying with established in the emergency plans approved by the competent animal health authority; in such a way as to ensure their well-being until their death. The criteria to be considered for the selection of the slaughter method to be used are established. The causes that justify the sacrifice are also regulated for the control of po[CENSORED]tions of animals in the wild.

On the other hand, the regulations regulate the use of euthanasia, the persons authorized to carry it out and the causes that justify their choice as a last resort to be used to induce the death of animals, specifying the need to act compassionately.

Finally, the Decree-Law establishes that infractions of what is regulated in its body and its Regulations constitute violations, as well as the provisions established on animal welfare.

 

A Decree Law in which everyone legislated

As part of the effort of the Cuban Government and State to give participation to the po[CENSORED]tion in the construction of the country's public policies, the Ministry of Agriculture has carried out multiple actions, among which is the call to legislate from the 3rd to the 23rd. November 2020, stimulating our po[CENSORED]tion to participate in the construction of the content and legal precepts that were considered should regulate the new legal norms, with the general objective of constructing the postulates of the specific legal framework of animal welfare, by the actors linked and the Cuban po[CENSORED]tion.

For this, various communication channels were opened through the social networks Facebook and Twitter, emails and the institutional website of Minag, with the aim of facilitating interaction with the po[CENSORED]tion and being able to listen to their opinions, suggestions and recommendations on the subject. in question. Through these channels, it was possible to issue criteria for adding, deleting, modifying or leaving a comment regarding the proposed legal structure.

This call had a great impact on those interested in this topic, since almost 7 thousand readings and more than 2 thousand comments and opinions were counted, as well as a notable impact on social networks.

Likewise, the authorities and specialists of the Minag have held meetings with people interested in animal welfare, who have expressed their concerns and have provided valuable criteria on the subject, have clarified concepts and definitions and have referred to the importance of having a legal body that establish regulations on the behaviors and actions of people in their relationship with animals.

Now it is time to work on the implementation of what has been approved. To achieve this, the preparation of our po[CENSORED]tion, of the authorities in charge of enforcing the provisions, associations, owners, holders and keepers of animals, and entities is vital. It will be necessary to continue developing a broad social communication campaign through the channels provided to achieve the expected impact with this regulation, convinced that it is a significant step forward towards a more humane society.