A national mobilization to put an end to the suffering of live animals sold at market stalls and city fairs. The Not for sale campaign, promoted by the associations Animal Law Italia, Animal, Zoout and Free Animal Sanctuaries Network, aims to introduce a uniform ban across the entire Italian territory. Currently the legislation varies from municipality to municipality: cities such as Milan, Rome, Bari, Monza, Lecce and La Spezia have already banned this practice, while Puglia is the first region to have approved a binding law. In Piedmont, the municipality of Leinì adopted the ban in 2026, but the promoters’ goal is to extend the measure nationwide.
Investigations and documented cases of mistreatment
The request for legislative intervention arises from field investigations conducted between 2025 and 2026 in Piedmont, Tuscany and Puglia, also broadcast on television Rai 3 sends me. Among the most serious critical issues, identified in the markets of Ivrea and Rivarolo Canavese, are injured quails, a dying chicken and birds locked in overcrowded cages exposed to temperatures above 37 degrees. In Ivrea, the killing of trout removed from tanks and beaten to death with metal bars in front of customers was documented, as well as the sale of rabbits left for over 30 minutes inside cardboard boxes positioned near fruit and vegetable stalls.
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Risks to public health and critical health and hygiene issues
In addition to the ethical aspects and ethological well-being, the presence of animals in street markets causes significant hygienic-sanitary problems. The inspections highlighted the direct proximity between the cages and the food stalls, with eggs and fresh meat stored in unprotected containers a few centimeters from the birds. This promiscuity generates the risk of cross-contamination from feces, urine and volatile dust, with potential dangers of transmission of pathogens for consumers. Impulsive purchasing by customers, facilitated by marketing in fair contexts, also encourages subsequent inappropriate retention or early abandonment of specimens.
Checks on farms and requests to the authorities
The in-depth investigation made it possible to trace the supply chain of the street stalls, identifying a farm located in Mercenasco. Inside the structure, which houses thousands of specimens including dogs, rabbits, chickens, quails, pigeons and ducks, dirty rooms and puppies locked in environments without light have been documented. The associations sent all the material to the competent authorities to verify compliance with Legislative Decree 146 of 2001 on the protection of animals on farms and the application of European regulations on food safety. The petition can be signed at this link.
