Ministerial Circular No. 10 laying down clarifications in matter of animal protection in farms and defining the modalities of the transmission of data related to control activities.

The Ministerial Circular lays down clarifications intended for the correct and effective application of Legislative Decree No. 146 of 26 March 2001. The latter shall apply to all farms and concerns all animal species, with exception to: a) animals exclusively destined to competitions and sport or cultural activities; b) animals intended for experimentation purposes (without any prejudice to Legislative Decree No. 116 of 1992); c) animals living in wild environments. The holders of the animals are responsible for the proper application of the provisions hereby set out. An information system is arranged in order to ensure the enforcement of Legislative Decree No. 146 of 2001. The local health authorities shall periodically inform the Ministry of Health and the competent organisms of the European Union. The Circular lays down guidelines concerning the exchange of information and data within the above-mentioned information system. The guidelines refer also to inspection. In fact, local health authorities must perform checks with a view to ensure the enforcement of Legislative Decree No. 146 of 2001 on the farms which fall within their territories of competence. For this purpose, complete and up-to-date data must be at disposal of the local health authorities. Data shall in particular regard the quantity of farms subject to inspections, animal species concerned and their related production features, as well as the results of checks previously carried out.