The amending bill approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday aims to clarify the responsibilities of the authorities involved and more effectively implement the law on dogs, reports the Ministry of Agriculture, while noting that, among other things, it introduces more direct penalty procedures, which will allow out of court regulation of offenses and will act as a deterrent to promote responsible ownership and curb the huge problem of stray dogs.
In particular, the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, in a statement relayed by the GTP, expresses great satisfaction that the Council of Ministers, with today's decision, approved the bill entitled "The Dog (Amendment) Law of 2022", which aims at the revision of the Law on Dogs, which was a perennial need but also a request of various bodies.
The bill will be submitted in the coming days to the House of Representatives and through the parliamentary debate that will follow it is expected that further adjustments and improvements to its provisions will emerge.
As mentioned, the drafting of the bill was done by the Veterinary Services, after a public consultation, during which a large number of written suggestions and comments were received from citizens and agencies, which demonstrates the importance of the bill and the great interest surrounding the issues of possession of dogs. A special effort was made so that the bill takes into account public opinion to a large extent and confuses the opinions submitted.
It is noted that the bill in its final form was drawn up in consultation with the Union of Municipalities and the Union of Cyprus Communities, which represent the local self-government authorities that have the basic competence in the implementation of the Law on Dogs, but also with the Minister of the Interior, who has the political responsibility for the Law.
The bill, it is noted, aims to clarify the responsibilities of the authorities involved and to implement the Law more effectively.
"In this direction, it introduces, among other things, more direct sentencing procedures, which will allow offenses to be settled out of court and act as a deterrent to promote responsible ownership and curb the huge problem of stray dogs," it added. .
Through the draft law, it is stated, improvements are also brought to other important issues defined in the existing Law, such as the procedure for securing a dog ownership permit, the marking and registration of dogs and the transfer of ownership of the animal, the management of stray dogs with an emphasis on their adoption and the more effective management of emergency situations involving dangerous dogs.
KYPE