Parties want better welfare for animals

A number of concrete points must be included in the plan, such as a disaster management plan that includes animals, a reporting point for dangerous dogs, restrictions on angling and a ban on confetti, balloons and streamers.

But perhaps the most important point in the new plan is that there is a different mindset around animals. “We want animal welfare to be considered in advance for every policy document, for every project development that exists,” says Virginia Jonkers, chair of the Eindhoven faction of the Party for the Animals.

Budget

By including animal welfare in every project, Jonkers also hopes that more money will be made available for animal welfare policy. “Compared to some other municipal matters, the budget is now quite substandard,” Jonkers believes.

According to her, about half a million now goes to animal welfare policy, the lion’s share of which goes to the ROZE foundation. Alderman Rik Thijs (animal welfare) did make a comment during a political meeting on the subject. “In many other dossiers, we also work on animal welfare, such as biodiversity or enforcing the feed ban. These are things that do not fall within this animal welfare policy,” he explains.

Guidelines

But still, more budget is needed, for example to help pay for veterinary costs for people on low incomes, a plan that was proposed earlier but was rejected by the council. In addition to more budget, stricter guidelines need to be introduced in other areas, according to the parties.

Such as releasing balloons and using confetti, or stricter rules regarding angling. “You can say that it is patronising, but that indicates that animals are always subordinate to us,” Jonkers believes. “But that is not the case. Animals are equal and we should treat them that way. As long as you cannot ask animals whether they like being at events or being fished for, we should not do it.”

Postpone

According to alderman Thijs, the new ambitions for the next animal welfare policy are quite expensive. His advice is therefore to postpone the policy until the new academic year. “A number of proposals have a major financial outlay and organisational consequences. Such as the minimum scheme and the dog tax as a target tax,” Thijs explains. “That has major consequences for the general budget and in a number of areas it also requires additional enforcement capacity. There is currently no coverage for the points that would really fundamentally change the plan.”

The Party for the Animals has now requested information about what is being spent on the policy. “Compared to other municipalities, we are doing well, because of course we have a policy,” says Jonkers. That is not standard for municipalities. “So we have come a long way, but I think we can still make big steps so that animal welfare starts to live with everyone and that we no longer have to have a discussion about it because everyone sees how important it is,” Jonkers concludes.