Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

After passing through the Council, the document will be examined by the City Council for approval and entry into force 
 
Milan, August 3 2019 – The new Regulation for the welfare and protection of animals is coming. After passing through the Council in Friday's session, the document will be examined by the City Council for approval and entry into force. 
In this way the Administration will equip itself with an updated, useful and dynamic tool capable of incorporating the growing sensitivity towards issues relating to animal protection, within the competences conferred by the legislation on the municipalities.
In the 14 years that have passed since the approval of the current Regulation, in fact, there have been numerous changes to the law regarding animal protection, suffice it to mention Law 130 of 2008 which recognizes animals as "sentient beings" or Law 120 of 2010 which introduced the obligation to rescue animals that have been hit. 
 
“The new regulation – declares the councilor with responsibility for Policies for the protection and defense of animals Roberta Guaineri – wishes to have an educational role, of training a renewed culture of respect for animals in the city. To this end, this document not only establishes binding rules but promotes general principles of good behavior towards animals and their management".
 
In compliance with current state and regional law, the Regulation proposes some innovative elements. For example: greater rigor in the detention and sale of certain wild animal species, to protect the environment (invasive species) and their well-being (species that require high professionalism for their correct management); management of cat colonies (regulated by the Region only on a general level); protection of swifts' nesting sites; management of live crustaceans intended for food (for now regulated only by Switzerland, with a very recent law); alignment with the guidelines of the ministerial CITES Commission for circuses and traveling shows; transfer and/or fostering activities of dogs and cats from the municipal kennel park in order to facilitate the management of the facility and encourage the adoption of animals.
 
The working method followed for the drafting of the new regulation has first of all favored the technical-scientific competence of the Guarantors for the Protection of Animals of the Municipality of Milan who, for the drafting of the text, involved bodies, associations in the verification, consultation and control activity and academia. In particular, the Veterinary Medicine Department of the University of Milan, the Veterinary Health Sciences Department of the University of Milan, ATS Milan - Metropolitan City - Veterinary Department, the Order of Veterinary Doctors, ENPA Milan, WWF Lombardy , LIPU, Progetto Natura Onlus, the Animal Protection Unit of the Local Police of Milan, the Civic Aquarium and freelancers.
 
Furthermore, although not expressly foreseen, all the city's municipalities were involved in the drafting of the new Regulation and the innovative amendment proposals consistent with the general approach of the document were largely implemented. At the end of the consultation, favorable opinions were received from all municipalities, except the seventh (the opinion from Municipality 2 was not received and, therefore, was considered favorable).