Veterinary protest in Malaga

On Tuesday 11 February, around 300 veterinary clinics in the province of Malaga will close their doors as part of a large-scale protest. The veterinary protest in Malaga comes as veterinarians demand improvements and legal reforms at both regional and national levels. One of the oldest associations of clinical veterinarians in Spain, the veterinary association Amveac, is organising the action. The protest slogan is: “Veterinary medicine professionals say: enough is enough” (#vetbasta).

Objection to new regulations

Veterinarians are opposed to the obligations imposed by Royal Decree 666/2023. According to them, these rules are unnecessary, excessive and an attack on their professional integrity. The regulations increase the administrative burden and make it more difficult to provide essential medicines to animals. As a result, veterinarians are experiencing more and more problems, causing delays in treatments and reducing the effectiveness of care.

Problems in the supply of medicines

One of the main demands is that the Ministry of Agriculture of the Junta de Andalusia adapts the regulations. This will make veterinary products more easily available in local dispensaries. Currently, limitations in the supply chain cause delays, which means that animals do not always receive the necessary treatments in time.

Reform of medicine legislation and VAT reduction

The protesting veterinarians are calling on the central government to review the legislation on medicines and health products. They want clinics and veterinary hospitals to be able to provide the necessary medicines immediately. This will prevent delays and minimize the risk of self-medication. They are also demanding the abolition of the obligation to register the use of antibiotics in pets and non-food producing animals. According to them, this is an unnecessary administrative burden, since the European EsuaVet project already keeps this data.

In addition, veterinarians are calling for a return to the reduced or super-reduced VAT rate for veterinary services. This makes veterinary care more accessible and emphasises the importance of animal health as an essential service.

With the Veterinary protest in Malaga, veterinarians hope to draw attention to the problems within their sector and put pressure on the government to implement the necessary reforms.

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