The Welfare of Galgos and Greyhounds: Time to Take Urgent Actions

3 Feb 2021
On 3 February 2021, the Intergroup for Animal Welfare gathered once again to discuss animal welfare. This time the topic was Greyhounds and Galgos.

Every year in Spain, tens of thousands of Galgos are hanged, thrown into wells and gutters as hunting waste. These animals are victims of their success: bred for speed, agility and sense of smell, they are used in hunting and racing with no strings attached. At the end of their rather short so-called “career,” they tend to be treated as a waste, abandoned especially in countries such as Spain or Ireland where they are the most present.

With the aim to discuss this situation, the Intergroup for Animal Welfare invited two experts from Spain to a dedicated session entitled: 'The Welfare of Galgos and Greyhounds'.  

The one and a half hour webinar was the opportunity to listen to the presentation of Anna Clements, director and co-founder of SOS Galgos and to Yeray Lopez, director of the documentary 'Yo Galgo'. The presentations concluded with an intervention from Petras Auštrevičius, MEP and Chair of the Intergroup’s Working Group on Companion Animals, who made a call to take some urgent actions.   

The event, hosted by MEP Anja Hazekamp (GUE/NGL/The Netherlands) and moderated by Eurogroup for Animals CEO Reineke Hameleers, had the participation of several members of the European Parliament and NGOs representatives, who engaged in a lively debate. 

Find the video recording and presentations here.