A New Law For The Protection Of Herds And Livestock guarding dogs In Italy

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Three Italian organisations DifesAttiva, Io non ho paura del lupoand Eliante presented a law proposal in a webinar on November 18, 2021. This 17-article law is intended to protect shepherds, herdsmen and Livestock guarding dogs as well as the landscape. Those responsible: “Now we have to get together with all interested parties to review the draft.”

The need for a law

Across Europe, many countries are already debating laws to protect shepherds and their dogs. In some cases, they are even already on the agenda, but this is not yet the case in Italy. As a country with strong roots in pastoralism, significant experience with livestock guarding dog training and other historical traditions such as transhumance, the absence of such legislation is striking. This legislation is important “to protect shepherds and provide them with a social balance in the region”, said the event organizers at the livestock guarding webinar.

The need for a standard focused on Livestock guarding dogs stems from two main issues: firstly, the increase of these dogs on a national scale following the constant and natural spread of large carnivores. Secondly, the need to establish a social balance between herders who rely on these dogs and their coexistence with the local population.

In the other LIFEstockProtect project countries, namely Austria and Germany, a change in the law is also necessary to ensure the practical inclusion of livestock guarding dogs in the daily lives of shepherds.

The new bill

The idea of a new law in Italy came about shortly after a hearing on November 17, 2020, after the damage caused by wild animals was discussed. At that time, a member of DifesAttiva intervened as a shepherd representative. A first bill had already been presented in December 2020 to the Agriculture Committee of the Italian Senate, but nothing happened after that. The proposal, which consists of 17 well-structured articles covering several aspects, was discussed during the webinar where all the interested parties were invited.

Did you miss the webinar (and speak Italian)?

No problem! If you are interested in hearing all the reasons that led to the development of this legislative proposal, you can watch the recording in Italian by following the link below.