The collection of signatures for five referendums on animal rights has begun

The collection of signatures, promoted by the Respect for All Animals association, for five referendums on the protection of fauna and the environment in the Italian regions.Specifically, the questions at the center of the campaign propose the abolition of hunting, the possibility of hunters entering private funds, intensive farming and animal testing, as well as the use of animals in historical events, in circuses and inside the zoos.The proposals, which they have already collected thousands of subscriptions, can be signed through the SPID - or, alternatively, ADN, CIE and CNS - on the new State platform for popular initiatives (to this end link).

With the first two questions, the association Respect for all animals he asks Of "make the cruel and polluting practice of hunting illegal, now obsolete, no longer significant for the existence of the human being" and of "to forbid entry into private funds by hunters", which is currently foreseen by law "even without the authorization of the legitimate owner".The third question instead has the objective to abolish «cruel» breeding methods such as «the forced limitation of living space, sometimes extreme as in the case of chickens, cages for sows or tanks for farmed fish», which constitute a «unhealthy, smelly and deadly breeding environment without access to air and light which causes the spread of painful pathologies" and in which cruel acts such as mutilations, selective suppressions and the massive use of drugs and hormones often occur.In this regard, by proposing the question, the association also underlines the «enormous environmental problems» present in these facilities, with highly polluting dangerous waste that threatens «the healthiness of land, aquifers, rivers, lakes, seas and air», as well as the «risks to the health of the consumer».

Through the fourth question, theabolition of animal experimentation, since, as the promoting association puts it in black and white, «to advance scientific research it no longer requires live laboratory mice».The promoters point the finger at the deliberate choices of pharmaceutical companies, which "prefer to torture millions of living beings instead of investing in the safe alternative methods available today".Among these practices, to name a few, are vivisection, inhalation of toxic gases, chemical burns and exposure to radiation, sound, ultrasound, electromagnetic waves and electricity.Lastly, the association asks for a referendum to be held question where it is requested the abolition of the use of animals in "circuses", "dolphinariums" and "zoos" – where the specimens are «forced to limit their ethological needs only to satisfy the curiosity of the beings who have imprisoned them» – in addition to «practices that also make historical re-enactments a ground for mistreatment».

To bring the questions to the vote, the promoters of the signature collection must collect at least 500 thousand subscriptions valid for each point.You can sign until September 16, 2024.Since the end of July, a decree from the President of the Council of Ministers has certified the operation of the online platform, allowing citizens to sign with your digital identity for this and other referendum proposals.

[by Stefano Baudino]