Spain: Livestock farms must have an Animal Welfare Plan prepared by the farm's veterinarian

This Wednesday, the Official State Gazette published Royal Decree 159/2023, which creates some new tools in order to improve animal welfare on farms, as well as to facilitate the official controls carried out by the competent authorities. In particular, the published royal decree modifies several regulations regarding the protection of animals on farms, as well as information on the food chain and on emergency slaughter on the farm. This new standard is part of the legislative package to accompany the Strategic Plan for the application of the CAP in Spain and represents a reinforcement of animal welfare regulations. With the aim of ensuring the improvement of the internal processes of farms, the obligation is extended to have an animal welfare plan for all farms over a certain size, which is established from 5 UGM for cattle, horse, sheep and goat farms and 5.1 UGM in the case of extensive pig farms . It will be mandatory in 2027. The farm veterinarian will be in charge of ...