The Directorate-General for Food and Veterinary (DGAV) has resumed its responsibilities for the welfare of companion animals, previously transferred to the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) in 2020.
“[…] The Directorate-General for Food and Veterinary, as the National Veterinary Health Authority, reassumes from July 1 responsibilities related to promoting the welfare of companion animals, implementing public policies of the sector in an integrated manner,” the institution announced in a statement.
This transfer of responsibilities from ICNF to DGAV was anticipated in a decree published in the Official Gazette in April.
The DGAV thus returns to overseeing the welfare of companion animals, including strays, and responsibilities related to the keeping of wild fauna in zoos, approximately five years after these responsibilities were removed.
In late July 2020, then-Minister of Agriculture Maria do Céu Antunes announced that companion animals would no longer fall under the DGAV, transferring control to the Ministry of Environment.
The minister explained the decision in parliament, citing the nearly 2.8 million registered companion animals, asserting that the DGAV should focus on the welfare of production animals, “which supply the food systems,” while committing to strengthen the staff of 305 veterinary doctors of the directorate-general.
Amid criticism of dismantling the Ministry of Agriculture, Maria do Céu Antunes assured that her ministry would be strengthened by this move.
