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Deputy Minister of Agriculture Egidijus Viskontas claims that there are currently at least one million unmarked animals in Lithuania.
“We propose to make that transition period in 2021. Because if we introduce that mandatory labeling for one million pets as of January 1, physical veterinarians certainly won’t be able to do it, and obviously human dissatisfaction will arise. We propose to fix the legal framework during 2021 so that animals with mandatory labeling are from May 1, 2022, “said the vice minister at the government meeting on Wednesday.
However, Environment Minister Kęstutis Mažeika and Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis opposed this, calling this plan unambitious.
“Certainly the problem is not Grandma’s dog, which is either running in the yard or tied to the road. The problem is the dozens of cases, that is, dog breeders, where the main objective is to prevent this illegal activity (…). I believe, Prime Minister, we cannot afford to postpone the solution of the problem until 2022, I speak especially of the activities of those multipliers who benefit from it and cause great damage not only to the State, but to the entire face of animal welfare ”, assured the Minister.
S. Skvernelis pointed out that K. Mažeika is currently alternate to the Minister of Agriculture, so he could reconcile this issue with himself.
“As they say, all the tools in the Minister, in your hands – you need an answer, you need a serious conversation with yourself.” It is not difficult to agree between the two ministers – environment and agriculture – because there is an ideal match. “, he ironized.
“The information provided by the ministry is really a plan to do nothing for a while. “I hope that in a week, when I present the progress and as agriculture minister, we will see very concrete solutions with very specific deadlines, not in 2022 or 2050, so that there are no unmarked animals,” said the prime minister.
The Cabinet of Ministers will evaluate these proposals next week.
There is also complete disagreement on whether the state should be compensated for the labeling, as the budget compensation could be dissociated by up to 15 million. euros.
Wisconton said animal rights organizations argued that such state interference would be inappropriate because “the animal is a luxury, not a commodity that individuals should care for themselves.”
Based on current market prices, the average cost of marking an animal in Lithuania is 15 euros and, according to estimates, there are currently around one million unmarked animals. We should allocate more than 15 million for this. euros. This amount is quite significant, we are looking at another option: in the first place, to focus on socially disadvantaged people who cannot take care of their animals, to finance a part for them ”, said the deputy minister.
The ministry estimates that the latter option would cut costs at least three times.
It is also suggested that animal rights associations could carry out labeling of animals, with additional funds to strengthen their activities. A special mobile app for marking and registering animals is also being considered.
According to E. Viskontas, currently 26 countries in Europe are mandatory to tag pets and Lithuania remains one of the few that has not yet done so.
The ministry is also committed to presenting a package of legislative amendments on the labeling of animals, stricter regulation of animal husbandry and the registration of breeders. Among other things, the Ministry of Agriculture proposes to prohibit the acquisition of an unregistered animal in the future and to simplify the procedure for bringing cats and dogs to Lithuania. It is also considering joining the Polish initiative and proposing that the European Union establish a single pet trade system.
The government will also evaluate the request of the State Food and Veterinary Service (SFVS) to allocate an additional 230 thousand LTL this year. for quick response to irregularities to ensure specialists are available 24 hours a day.
E. Viskontas stated that the Ministry does not intend to increase responsibility for animal welfare violations, because the Seimas is examining at least several of those proposals. He stressed that animal rights organizations also opposed stricter penalties, emphasizing the priority of the inevitability of punishment.
In this sense, the Ministry of Agriculture undertakes to evaluate the police proposal to reform the Code of Administrative Offenses, facilitating access by officials to personal or business facilities. Special training for those convicted of cruelty to animals, similar to the drunk driver training, is also being considered.
The vice minister pointed out that the police and the SFVS have already agreed to strengthen their forces in the detection of violations of animal welfare, and the service itself is setting up guard brigades in regional units, where in addition to the service, the animal welfare inspectors will work private veterinarians.
Among other things, it is proposed that students in grades 4-11 receive two academic hours per year for lectures on animal welfare.
The welfare of animals has been a matter of concern recently following reports of active animal rights activists who reported violations of animal rights in illegal kennels, and deaths, torture of dogs and other animals were discovered after the raids by officials.
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