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Anastasia Balezdrova

The new law against animal abuse and exploitation, which imposes strict punitive measures against offenders, was passed during the last night's meeting of the Council of Ministers. It provides an electronic database on the Internet for registration and marking of animals and their owners who are required to mark their pets with a microchip. Electronic marking is required for stray animals picked up from the streets.

Many of the organizations for animal protection expressed the opinion that the legal changes are positive, emphasizing that it is important to implement them in practice.

GRReporter contacted the president of the Confederation of Greek Companies for Animal Protection Joanna Garagouni who has been fighting against animal abuse and exploitation 30 years.

In her opinion, the new law is almost a copy of the previous, but a negative copy. "There are many additions which do not bring anything positive for animals. Some of the things described in the regulations are somewhat naive. They are written simply to "enrich" something, but I do not know what exactly. In practice, they neither provide any protection of animals, nor are protecting them from exploitation, which is the title of the law. My personal opinion is that it is just the opposite – the law is facilitating exploitation."

The system to discuss the bill on the Internet, which the PASOK government introduced, has not contributed to the creation of a better legal framework according to Joanna Garagouni.

"Let me tell you first that these are not generally available processes. Especially older people who feed stray animals have no computers. There were opinions but of people who do not know the law in depth. They do not know what the consequences of these provisions are. And, of course, those people who would benefit from the cancellation of the previous law supported the bill and enjoyed the "improvements".

Very often, the experience could help a lot more than "the fresh ideas". Let me talk with examples. The law states that animals are protected against abuse. The law against the abuse dates back to 1981 and it includes all kinds of animals, i.e. pets such as dogs, working animals - horses, mules and donkeys and farm animals - chickens, turkeys, etc. It provides penalties for anyone who abuses or abandons the animals from all these groups. Therefore, the claims by some circles that there is no law were pure lie. They are described in the European Convention for the Protection of Animal Rights, which Greece ratified."

Joanna Garagouni says that the most serious problem that the new law is not addressing is the illegal trafficking of homeless animals for sale. "The new law provides that to sell an animal its microchip should be visible in its picture. Does this mean that if a stray animal has a microchip it can be sold? With or without a microchip, the animal is subject to a deal, when sold. Is the exploitation absent? There are stray animals in all countries and trafficking involves even companies that protect their rights and various volunteers. They send the animals to other countries, saying that they will be adopted there, but actually they sell them. Therefore, the European authorities issued Regulation 998/2003 on the animal health requirements for movement of pets with not-trading purpose. I would like to underline the difference between legitimate trade, accompanied by the issuance of all necessary documents and the trafficking of an animal found on the street that they tuck in among hundreds of others and send them to other countries. There are cases of capturing such "traders" and some of the animals suffocated among the others. The law provides no punishment for this, but for the cases of unclean dung in the yard the fine is 300 euro.

But if you are at work during the day and left your dog in the yard to be in the open, how could you clean at once? Does this mean that the owner should constantly go with a broom in hand to avoid being fined 300 euro? If this fine is imposed 3-4 times the dog will find itself on the street. If the dog goes out to the balcony and barks, the fine is 500 euro. Remember that if this law is applied word for word, the streets will fill with so many stray dogs that neither the municipality, nor the president himself will be able pick up them."

The longtime activist for animal rights believes that the fine of 30,000 euro provided for the cases of animal abuse is almost impossible to be imposed. "When we were discussing the bill I told them to provide for life imprisonment. However, it is not about the punishment, but the how the offenders will be caught. Animals can not speak to show us their abuser."

She disagrees with the provision that allows the organization of exhibitions of animals as long as there is a permit from the district administration.

"I have never organized exhibitions during my 30 years of experience in companies for the protection of animals. I disapprove it because the owners make the animals ridiculous. The law provides that if an organizer has permission from the regional government then an exhibition can take place. What should this mean? That when you have permission you do not make the animal ridiculous? I am saying this because the European Convention for the Protection of Animal Rights prohibits this. All the tricks are things that people are forcing animals to do. The law, however, permits their participation in exhibitions."

The new law allows not only local authorities but many right protecting organizations to pick up stray dogs from the street. This, according to Joanna Garagouni, would lead to chaos in the whole system of registration and marking, which henceforth will be at the Ministry of Rural Development.