On Sunday, August 16, the traditional Fiera di San Rocco in Casamassima (BA) took place, for the first time, without any animals displayed or sold among the stalls. A result that seemed distant just a few months ago: in May, at the Fiera di Santa Croce, in the same municipality, puppies, rabbits, birds and turtles were still being regularly sold, and the request to stop the sale had been publicly dismissed as «fanaticism».
Today the situation has changed. And it has changed because the law, this time, was enforced.
A ban that already existed, but remained on paper
Regional Law of Puglia No. 2 of June 19, 2020 prohibits the direct or indirect sale of animals in itinerant or occasional trading activities (art. 23, paragraph 4) and their use as prizes or gifts in games, festivals, fairs and lotteries (art. 24, paragraph 4). The Puglia Region, in a note dated March 28, 2022, clarified that during fairs and similar events companion animals «may not be kept there, let alone sold»: in other words, even the mere display is prohibited, regardless of the animals’ state of health and the formal compliance of the vendors.
Yet, for six years, in dozens of fairs and festivals across Puglia everything went on as before: animals crammed into cages under the sun, exposed to noise and crowds, sold on impulse — even to minors — in conditions incompatible with their welfare.
The campaign: from notice to results
On June 11, 2026, twelve associations — Animal Law Italia, which coordinates the initiative, together with Animal, Earth ODV, La Fattoria di Nonno Peppino APS, LAV Bari, LAV Taranto, LEAL ETS, LNDC Animal Protection APS, Nati per Amarti ODV, OIPA Italia ODV, Rete dei Santuari di Animali Liberi and Zoout — sent certified emails to all municipalities in Puglia, more than 250 administrations, recalling the ban and requesting concrete actions: informing organizers and festival committees, inserting explicit clauses in stall concessions, and arranging inspections by the Local Police together with the ASL (local health authority) and the Forestry Carabinieri.
The first response came from the Municipality of Nardò, which at the end of June endorsed the associations’ requests, forwarding the communication to the Festival Committees and the vendors’ association and committing to recalling the ban in stall concessions.
In early August, ahead of the mid-August (Ferragosto) fairs, Animal Law Italia formally issued cease-and-desist notices to the Municipalities of Rutigliano, Casamassima and Alezio. The results were not long in coming:
- at the Fiera di San Lorenzo in Rutigliano (August 9-10) the Local Police enforced the ban for the first time;
- the Municipality of Locorotondo, with mayoral order No. 180 of August 11, 2026, banned the sale, transfer, display and trading of animals of any species for the entire duration of the Antica Fiera Mercato di San Rocco on August 14;
- in Casamassima, after a further request from the associations, the mayor publicly announced the «Fiera di San Rocco without animals», and on August 16 the fair actually took place without any display or sale of animals;
- in Alezio, at the historic Fiera della Lizza (August 14-16), some vendors nonetheless showed up with animals: the animal welfare officers of Agriambiente Lecce intervened and had them removed, confirming that on-site enforcement works — and is needed;
- positive signals also from Molfetta, where the administration assured that the ban will be enforced in the upcoming fair in September.
«What has happened in Puglia in recent weeks shows that the gap between what animal protection laws provide for and reality can be closed — states Alessandro Ricciuti, lawyer and president of ALI – Animal Law Italia ETS —. This is also part of our work as animal lawyers: activating legal tools that already exist but have been forgotten by institutions, in order to produce concrete results. Four municipalities in one week are proof that, when administrations are confronted with their own responsibilities, the law can be enforced. We will keep watching so that what happened in Rutigliano, Locorotondo, Casamassima and Alezio becomes the rule throughout the region».
It’s not over
The campaign continues. The associations will keep monitoring the events scheduled in the coming months throughout the region, starting with the autumn fairs, and will take action — with cease-and-desist notices and, where necessary, reports to the competent authorities — against non-compliant administrations.
The goal, however, goes beyond Puglia: with the «Non in vendita» (“Not for sale”) coalition, launched in April 2026, Animal Law Italia is working to extend the ban on the display and sale of live animals at fairs and markets to the whole of Italy, following the example of the more than twenty cities — from Bari to Leinì — that already include it in their regulations.
Anyone who witnesses the sale, display or offering as a prize of animals at fairs, festivals or celebrations can report it to us: citizens’ reports have been, also in this campaign, the starting point of every intervention. The associations also remain available to municipalities for clarifications, support and informational materials.