Petition to Stop the Inhumane Draft of the Animal Welfare Act

Regarding the working draft of the Animal Welfare Act of Serbia, published on the website of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management on August 8, 2025, a group of animal protection organizations submitted a letter to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, and the Director of the Veterinary Directorate. The letter points out the failure to follow the legally prescribed procedure for drafting the working version of the act, as outlined in the Law on the Planning System and the Regulation on Regulatory Impact Assessment. It highlights the absence of an ex-ante impact analysis, as well as the fact that the Ministry did not inform the public about the beginning of the work on amending the Act, which it was obligated to do within five days from the start of the process. It also emphasizes that civil society organizations working in the field of animal protection were not informed at all about the initiation of the amendment process. The letter requests that the working draft be withdrawn and proposes that the Ministry implement certain reforms within its sector to ensure more efficient operations.