The Superior Court of Justice (TSJ) in the region of Castilla-León has issued an injunction stopping hunting at the height of the season, while it considers a lawsuit filed by PACMA (the Animalist Party Against Mistreatment of Animals) claiming that the regional government’s new law regulating hunting is in violation of European Union directives on the conservation and protection of wildlife
The court decision halts all hunting activities in the region until the case is resolved. The regional government of Castilla-León has said it will appeal the injunction, which it said is highly damaging to the region’s economy, which brings in millions of euros from the influx of hunters from throughout Spain and Europe during the hunting season each winter.
According to the PACMA lawsuit, the legislation passed by the Castilla-León regional parliament and signed into law last April does not meet EU standards for the regulation of hunting activities, the conservation of species and their sustainable use.
PACMA said the list of game species contained in the legislation was incomplete and was not compiled as a result of the necessary studies and surveys required by EU legislation.
In issuing the injunction, Judge Felipe Fresneda Plaza said the court had agreed to hear the case because society is obliged to consider the conservation and protection of animal species beyond their mere usefulness and the profit that humans may gain from them.
► Read More in Spanish at Público, Diario de León and El Norte de Castilla …
► Click to read more news about Animal Welfare in Spain …
Check out more news from Spain about:
► Animal Welfare ► Corruption/Transparency ► Discrimination ► Education ► Children’s Rights ► Environment & Sustainability ► Fair Trade & Development Aid ► Healthcare ► Historical Memory ► Housing & Homelessness ► Human Rights ► Labour & Unemployment ► LGBT ► Peace & War ► Politics ► Poverty ► Refugees & Migration ► Technology & Social Enterprise ► Women’s Rights