EU powerless to halt 'dog spinning' in Bulgaria
28 July 2005
THE EU is powerless to prevent the 'barbaric' Bulgarian tradition of'dog-spinning', the European Commission has admitted.
Dog-spinning - in which dogs are suspended over water and spun repeatedlybefore being released to spin wildly in the other direction, disoriented andterrified - is still practiced to forecast prosperity is some remoteBulgarian villages.
"Dog-spinning is a barbaric practice and must not be allowed to continueinto the 21st century," said Caroline Lucas, a UK Green Party MEP who hascalled on the EU to stamp out dog spinning during negotiations overBulgaria's forthcoming accession to the union.
Dr Lucas, who is vice-president of the RSPCA and the European Parliament'scross-party Animal Welfare Intergroup, said: "Dog-spinning is such a clearviolation of animal welfare regulations that it must be comprehensivelydealt with as part of Bulgaria's entry negotiations with the EU.
"The European Commission must impose an immediate end to the practice."
A spokesperson for European Health and consumer Protection CommissionerMarkos Kyprianou told Dr Lucas he shared her concerns on animal welfare inBulgaria and would raise the issue's with the Bulgarian government.
But he said ultimately the EU was powerless to intervene in the practice, asEU legislation for the protection of animals is principally concerned withanimals on farms, slaughter of livestock, transport and laboratory animals.
"The EU's competence to legislate... on cruelty towards dogs...is limited asthis area remains under the sole responsibility of member states," said theCommission.
ENDS
Editors' Note: Copies of relevant correspondence between Dr Lucas and theEuropean Commission are available at www.carolinelucasmep.org.uk or onrequest
For more information please contact Ben on 01273 671946, 07973 823358 orben@greenmeps.org.ukwww.carolinelucasmep.org.uk
