Protection, Welfare and Animal Health

With the aim of opening new paths and creating more animal protection mechanisms, councilor Dr. Ana Veterinária filed a draft resolution that creates the Permanent Commission for Protection, Welfare and Animal Health in the Santo André City Council. The document is being processed in the legislature for a subsequent vote in plenary.

“The municipality has numerous public policies aimed at animal health and protection, such as my public veterinary hospital project that is already serving the population, but the creation of the Permanent Commission comes to fill a gap by bringing, in a simple, yet necessary way, greater visibility to the urban, domestic, wild and exotic fauna, as well as ensuring animal protection and defense in Santo André”explains Dr. Ana Veterinária.

The legislative permanent committees are formed, in the case of Santo André, by three councilors and are mainly intended to examine and issue opinions (reports) regarding the projects that are being processed in the Chamber, according to the theme. Only with the commission’s approval can bills, resolutions and parliamentary amendments go to the plenary for voting.

In the specific case of the Animal Protection, Welfare and Health committee, the discussion takes place in scientific, technological, sporting and leisure projects that directly or indirectly involve animals, and inspecting and monitoring municipal government programs related to animal protection. of animal rights. Requesting a public hearing and summoning secretaries or authorities or any holders of bodies directly subordinate to the municipal executive power to provide, in person, information on a previously determined subject, is another task of the commission.

“It is also the responsibility of the members of the commission to give their opinion and issue an opinion on requests relating to matters that directly or indirectly involve the animal cause, as well as promoting, in partnership with governmental and non-governmental entities, the holding of seminars and lectures on animal rights. , always looking for public policies that are in the interest of society”, says Dr. Ana.

According to the Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea), Brazil occupies third place in the global revenue ranking. In 2023 alone, the segment generated almost R$70 billion – equivalent to 4.95% of all global revenue. Only the United States, with 44% of the sector’s revenues, and China, with 9%, are ahead of the Brazilian market.

According to 2022 data from Euromonitor, of the 168 million Brazilian pets, 68 million are dogs, 42 million are birds and 34 million are cats. There are also 22 million ornamental fish and 2 million others, such as rabbits and rodents. “These numbers alone explain why we should increasingly invest in animal protection and health, adoption and responsible ownership, castration and microchipping of animals”, concludes the parliamentarian.