Portugal’s party for People, Animals and Nature (PAN) has submitted a bill suggesting the contraptions should be banned from roads, arguing they “are not compatible with an evolved society.”
Among the main reasons listed on the bill for an end to be put to the circulation of these vehicles, is a lack of adequate signage for animal-drawn carts, the safety of passengers and animals, and animal welfare.
In a statement, PAN said “unfortunately fatal accidents caused by such vehicles are common occurrences. They are a danger to other drivers and also do not offer any security to occupants or the animals that pull them.”
Another key issue raised by PAN in the bill is “the welfare of the animals in question.”
PAN MP André Silva explained that “in addition to the accidents, which often result in the death of people and animals, the animals are also often subjected to excessive loading, poor diet, lack of water or a lack of protection from the weather.”
As an example, the bill cites tourist carriages where “horses are made to walk circuits and wait in the sun for eight hours straight, which leads to the rapid dehydration of the animals.”
And, the party’s statement stresses, the animals used to pull carts and carriages “are often abandoned in the street” when they no longer have the strength to perform the task.
Portugal’s image among tourists is a further concern taken into account by the bill, which claims visitors are often “shocked” at the sight of animals pulling carts “in plain 21st century.”
“The majority of tourists who visit our country are either Americans or from Northern Europe, where laws regarding animal wellbeing are much more developed”, PAN’s statement continued.
In the party’s view, “Portugal’s image is at stake” as “the way we treat our animals says a lot about us as a people.”
PAN’s law proposal ultimately suggests “the circulation of animal-pulled vehicles should be forbidden, regardless of the purpose for what it is intended.”
The bill further suggests the State should create an incentive programme to offer support to citizens choosing alternative transports.
Meanwhile a petition has also been launched with the same purpose.
Addressed to Portugal’s Government and Parliament, at the time of going to press, the ‘Ban Animal Traction Vehicles from Circulation on Roads’ petition (http://peticaopublica.com/pview.aspx?pi=PT79284) had garnered over 5,000 signatures.
On top of the points brought up by PAN, regarding road safety and the wellbeing of people and animals, the petition highlights the fact no control is exercised over the age or training of those driving the carts.
As well as deadly accidents, the petition further states “episodes involving extremely debilitated, visibly malnourished animals pulling overweight vehicles, spurred on by violence from their owners, are common.”
It considers that, taking all of the above into account “the image of Portugal and the Portuguese is severely damaged, thus undermining tourism and its respective economy” and “in the 21st century, any kind of animal slavery is not ethically acceptable.”
Those in favour of the move are hopeful Portugal could soon follow in the footsteps of countries such as Israel, which became the first country in the world to ban the practice.
Incidents in recent years with regard to the welfare of traction animals have been widely publicised in the media.
Last November, Portuguese authorities placed a cart-horse in the care of a British family in Almancil (Algarve) after it was found having collapsed from extreme exhaustion and undernourishment on a main road.
In September last year, five people – two adults and two children and a 10-month-old baby – were killed after two cars collided with a horse-drawn cart in Castro Verde.
However, there has also been a fair share of voices speaking out in defence of the carts, arguing such a move could promote ethnic discrimination and division, and that individual cases of animal neglect should not be generalised.