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Italy delays decision on cat, dog ban
The Italian Constitutional Court recently announced that it would not be making a decision until late 2003 on a case that may decide whether cats and dogs can be used in experiments in several parts of the country. The Emilia-Romagna region passed a local statute in August 2002 that banned the breeding, sale or use of laboratory dogs or cats. However, this statute conflicts with the national law in Italy which allows cats, dogs and primates to be used for experimental purposes if authorised by the Ministry of Health. The Italian Ministry of Regional Affairs appealed to the Constitutional Court in September 2002 to declare the Emilia-Romagna statute unconstitutional. They were expected to announce a decision at the end of January but instead announced that the decision had been deferred.
The origins of this affair lie with an incident in May 2002, when a lorry containing 56 beagles from Morini, a major laboratory animal breeder based in Emilia-Romagna, was stopped and inspected on the border with Austria. The conditions of transport were found to be inadequate and there were irregularities with the documentation for the animals. As a result the Bolzano attorney's office sequestered the animals and prevented them from being sent to their destination in Hamburg. This case attracted a high level of press attention and became a major campaigning issue for Italian antivivisection organisations.
The fall-out from this incident was not limited to the Emilia-Romagna region, but has spread to other parts of Italy. Two other regions, Lazio and Liguria, are now proposing statutes on the use of cats and dogs for experimental purposes. In addition, a Member of Parliament has gained a significant level of support from MPs of all parties for a proposal to ban the use of dogs, cats and primates in research throughout the country.