Filenews 4 October 2024
The state grant to the beneficiary animal welfare organizations will be increased to €140,000 from €100,000 from 2024 in recognition of the valuable work of animal loving volunteers, the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment said in an announcement on World Animal Day.
The announcement notes that the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, within the framework of its strategy, but also on the basis of the priorities of the Governance Program of the President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides for the protection and welfare of animals, has proceeded with a series of actions aimed at improving animal welfare conditions.
It is mentioned that the actions include the implementation of a series of educational activities in schools, in order to inform children on animal protection and welfare issues, the publication of a book by the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment "Myths and Truths about companion animals", which is distributed free of charge to primary school children attending lectures on animal welfare.
Also, the improvement of the living conditions of productive animals, through the implementation of special plans, within the framework of the Rural Development Program, the implementation on an annual basis of a Pancyprian Sterilization Plan for Stray Cats, with a total cost of €100,000 through which approximately 2000 cats are neutered annually, the implementation of a Support Plan for Local Government Authorities for the Creation of Regional Temporary Breeding Homes for Stray Dogs, covering the six-year period 2024-2029 with a total budget of €1,500,000, the coordination of the Departments of the Ministry, in order to locate equines in remote areas, to control their protection and welfare, the promotion of the interconnection of the hunting dog registers of the Game and Fauna Service with the Dog Registration Registry of the Veterinary Services, with the aim of reducing the number of stray dogs.
The Ministry also refers to the promotion, in cooperation with the Local Government Authorities, the Game and Fauna Service and the Veterinary Services, the drafting of a protocol for the coordination between the involved Competent Authorities in order to facilitate the capture of stray dogs and their subsequent management, the promotion of an amending bill in order to strengthen the Dogs Law and the promotion of Draft Regulations with a view to setting minimum requirements for private keeping of dogs
Finally, in an effort to recognize the valuable work of animal loving volunteers, the Ministry decided to further strengthen the beneficiary animal welfare organizations, with the state grant increasing to €140,000 from 2024, instead of €100,000 as it was in force, from the budget of the Veterinary Services.
