site.bta Animal Lovers Protest against Pending Animal Protection Act Revisions in front of Agriculture Ministry

Animal Lovers Protest against Pending Animal Protection Act Revisions in front of Agriculture Ministry

Sofia, January 24 (BTA) - Animal protection organizations
protested Saturday in front of the Agriculture and Food Ministry
 against planned revisions to the Animal Protection Act and
their preparation.

Vladimir Vassilev of AFA Bulgaria Foundation told journalists
that, according to an opinion of the European Commission, this
law is one of the most modern ones of its kind in Europe while
the planned revisions will turn things back. The amendments
violate the philosophy of the law related to coping with stray
animals by the trap-neuter-return method. If this happens, the
population of stray animals may increase instead of being
handled properly, he warned.

The animal lover are protesting against the convention of
working groups at the ministry, against the attempts to
eliminate civic society and denying it the legal rights it has
for control, Gabriela Papadopoulu who chairs the Intimate with
the Nature Society commented. The revisions to the law have been
 discussed "under wraps" at a meeting on January 9 held without
the participation of NGOs, she said.

Approached for comment in Rousse (on the Danube), Agriculture
and Food Minister Dessislava Taneva said that she does not see
actual grounds for the protest. According to her, the revisions
to the Animal Protection Act have been drafted after public
discussion and are supported by the biggest authoritative and
internationally recognised NGOs.