Animal Law Italia publishes today a new report entitled “For the legal recognition of non-food-production animal sanctuaries in Italy”, produced in collaboration with Rifugio Miletta, one of the first facilities of this kind established in Italy with the aim of welcoming cows, pigs, goats, hens, sheep and other animals rescued from the food production circuit.
The document, edited by Silvia Zanini, a research fellow in comparative public law (University of Trieste), offers a crucial contribution to the debate on the full legal recognition of these facilities, also known as “free animal sanctuaries”. These places are still effectively treated as farms, a classification that is incompatible with their nature and mission.
The regulatory gap has created practical and bureaucratic difficulties for operators and has limited protections for the animals housed, especially in the event of epidemics such as African swine fever. The report analyses this situation, proposing concrete solutions to fill these gaps and harmonise regional regulations, avoiding the uneven application of rules across the national territory.
Only partial recognition
Sanctuaries received a first limited recognition with the Decree of the Ministry of Health of 7 March 2023, which introduced the figure of the “permanent sanctuary”, although these facilities are given a very brief definition. The decree also strengthened the identification and registration (I&R) system for animals, requiring sanctuaries to ensure greater traceability of the animals they house.
The Regions, as provided for by the decree, will now have to adopt implementing regulations to define operational standards, health conditions and management procedures, ensuring animal welfare and effective supervision of sanctuary activities. The first to take this path was Piedmont, which in April of this year approved a new law for the protection of companion animals, which sets out specific rules applicable to animal sanctuaries (art. 31).
The Animal Law Italia report aims to serve as a guide to help other Regions through this process, offering a detailed analysis of Italian and European legislation and proposing examples and best practices from other countries, such as Spain and Austria, which have already introduced more advanced regulations.
«This report highlights the urgent need for clear and specific legal recognition for animal sanctuaries — concrete and fundamental realities that, despite existing and operating with tangible effects, have long remained invisible to the law. Filling this regulatory gap means not only attributing the right value to these facilities as spaces of protection, but also sending a signal of ethical change, oriented towards an increasingly conscious and respectful approach to animal life» declares Dr. Silvia Zanini, who edited the document for Animal Law Italia.
The social value of free animal sanctuaries
Sanctuaries for non-food-production animals are not simply spaces that take in animals in need; they represent places where the right to life and wellbeing is recognised for animals that are typically regarded only as resources. These facilities offer a second chance to cattle, pigs, goats, hens and other species, allowing them to live free from exploitation and in conditions that respect their natural needs.
Beyond their primary function, sanctuaries play an important social role. Through educational and outreach activities, such as guided visits and events, they raise public awareness of the condition of animals and promote a model of coexistence based on empathy and respect.
They also become points of reference for local and national communities, creating volunteering opportunities and fostering collective responsibility towards the environment and all forms of life.
These spaces demonstrate that an ethical alternative to the production system is not only possible, but also necessary in order to build a fairer and more conscious society.
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