Starting December 15, 2024, in New York State an innovative law will come into force that prohibits the sale of pets such as dogs, cats and rabbits in shops. This provision, known as “Puppy Mill Pipeline Act”represents a significant step towards protecting animal welfare, putting an end to a practice often associated with inhuman farming and trading conditions.
The rule, already adopted in other states such as California, aims to combat the phenomenon of “puppy mills”, intensive farming where animals are exploited and sold in precarious health conditions. According to New York authorities, this decision does not limit itself to banning the sale, but promotes an alternative model.
Pet shops will in fact be able to collaborate with associations to encourage adoptionsrenting spaces dedicated to the promotion of animals in need of a family. Attorney General Letitia James underlined the importance of responsible adoption, which allows families to welcome an animal without encouraging a system that exploits vulnerable creatures.
In Italy there is still no national law
In short, a great, great step forward. But in Italy? As usual we are watching. In our country, in fact, a national law is still missing banning the sale of pets in shops. Regulation is fragmented and entrusted to regional or municipal regulations, often limited to ban on display in shop windows to reduce animal stress.
However, the absence of a unitary regulatory framework leaves room for problems such as the sale of animals originating from illegal trafficking, in particular from Eastern Europewhere puppies are raised in degraded conditions and transported to Italy without adequate health checks.
A crucial aspect is the online commerce which in Italy represents one of the main routes of spread of animals from illegal farms. Selling on the internet often escapes regulations and makes it difficult to monitor the origin and conditions of the animals. For this reason, experts and animal rights associations underline the need for legislative intervention that goes beyond the ban in physical shops, also addressing the problem of the digital market.
The model adopted by New York could (and should) be inspirational for Italy, combining the sales ban with support for shelters and associations. Promoting a culture of responsible adoption and strictly regulating the animal trade represents a step forward in the fight against the mistreatment and exploitation of living beings.
