Once again, Italy decides to postpone the entry into force of the law that gradually prohibits the use of animals in the circusesthus referring to at least another year the end of a cruel and anachronistic practice.
This decision comes directly from the Senate, That with 56 votes in favor, 47 against and no abstention approved the bill on the extensions on entertainment. After the ok of the Council of Ministers, which formally proposed the extension, it was therefore the Senate who confirmed the postponement to 31 December 2026 of the deadline for the implementation of the law and is a news that once again leaves you ridsed and indignant, especially those who have been fighting against animal exploitation for years in circuses.
What the law provides for
The law in question is the Law 15 July 2022, n. 106also called “Show code “. Inside, among the many rules, the gradual abandonment of the use of animals in the circuses with a precise term for the application of this provision was foreseen.
The stated goal was clear and shareable: putting an end to an unjustifiable suffering imposed on living beings. The use of animals in circuses, in fact, involves not only extremely stressful and unnatural living conditions for animals, but also painful and violent training methods.
Yet another postponement (and all the previous ones)
Although the law was approved in 2022, its implementation has been postponed several times due to the lack of implementing decrees. That of 2025 is actually the third extension which is granted. Originally, the rule provided that the prohibition should enter into force within 9 months from the approval of the law itself, therefore already in 2023.
But in the following years several postponements have arrived:
These continuous slips represent a huge slap to those who struggle for animal rights and a clear signal that for too many people the “show” is worth more than the life and well -being of sentient beings.
So he commented Giulia Giambalvo -responsible exotic area Lav:
With 56 favorable, 47 against, 0 abstained the Senate today voted for a new slip – from 18 August 2025 to 31 December 2026 – of the disposal of the use of animals in Italian circuses. They continue to make us stay in the past, it’s a shame!
Unshabilious or uninformed people continue to pay for shows that are based on the pain and deprivation of the freedom of animals, and the state allows this to happen without applying the rules that should put an end to this injustice. In this scenario, however, there is also good news.
The spectators of the circus with animals fall
The traditional circus sector begins to lose popularity. THE data of the SIAE 2024 Report They highlight a constant drop in both the performances and the spectators: in 2024 the circus shows decreased by 1.1%, while the public recorded a 5.4% reduction compared to the previous year. And in 2025 the situation could be further improved.
The circus with animals is one of the least profitable sectors of the theater sectorwith medium takings for very low show and an increasingly reduced participation. This disaffection reflects a significant cultural change, in fact the sensitivity towards forms of entertainment grows that do not foresee the exploitation of animals, such as the contemporary circus without animals, which continues to collect success and to innovate the artistic panorama.
The circus without animals shows that art and entertainment can be made without cruelty. Shows such as those of the Cirque du Soleil, the Atmosphere Circus or the circus in the water offer high quality entertainment and respectful of animals.
Referring again the entry into force of the law that prohibits the use of animals in circuses means not only perpetuating unjustified suffering, but also support a model that has now been passed It is no longer sustainable neither from an ethical point of view nor – apparently – from the economic one.
So writes the Lav:
The umpteenth postponement that represents a continuation of the sentence for over 2,000 animals still forced to perform in numbers based on fear and coercion today. A minute of applause by the public, always in decrease correspond to a whole life of imprisonment for animals exploited in the circuses, whose rights will be trampled for another year and a half.
Sources: Lav / Siae
