Flemish Parliament has decided: Mole’s animal market may not take place every week, but may take place 8 times a year (Mol)

This morning the Flemish Parliament voted on the new Animal Welfare codex, which prohibits the sale of animals on markets. Minister of Animal Welfare Ben Weyts (N-VA) previously granted an exception, which means that the markets can still be organized eight times a year.

Last week, a delegation from the Mole municipal council, the market committee and local catering industry went to the Flemish Parliament to present the petition for the preservation of the animal market. The counter then stood at 4,415 signatures, but the campaign is still ongoing. Earlier this week, Vlaams Belang submitted a petition for the preservation of the animal market, which is also being dealt with separately by the committee.

Codex is the icing on the cake

Minister Weyts started the committee session with the conviction of his ambition to make progress in the field of animal welfare. “Today we are discussing a piece of work that is the icing on the cake for animal welfare. It is the result of a lot of dialogue and discussion to make progress, but neither the icing nor the cake is perfect,” says Minister of Animal Welfare Ben Weyts. It is a result of much discussion and compromise to make progress, but not in optimal conditions. I accept that there are imperfections, but I am making progress”

Weyts also came up with an explanation regarding the Mole animal market. “We have followed the logic of the previous ban on the sale of dogs and cats at pet markets to curb impulse purchases. In addition, the transports cause a lot of stress. What applies to dogs and cats also applies to chickens, rabbits and other animals. If you want to purchase an animal, it is better to go to a shelter or pet shop. It is perfectly possible today that Moses goes to the mountain instead of the other way around. We show pragmatism for exhibitions and annual fairs that are allowed to continue to exist. Animal markets can also still take place eight times a year, but we have to set the bar somewhere. There are already several municipalities that have decided to no longer organize the animal market.”

Little consultation

Meyrem Almaci (Green), regrets that there has been little consultation with the traders. “The codex is a sour cherry on an imperfect cake. Last week a market vendor from your party spoke to me about the lack of consultation. If you yourself say that the codex is the result of intensive consultation with various parties, that is remarkable. Organizing the animal market in Mol eight times is neither mussel nor fish,” says Almaci.

“We would have preferred clarity. Impulse purchases online and at markets, together with the transport of the animals, are a real problem. I will not comment on whether or not consultations have taken place with the various parties. However, we would like to endorse the principled approach to stop animal markets and move towards a phase-out policy.”

During the committee, Flemish Member of Parliament Bart Dochy (CD&V), who also stands up for the preservation of the animal market in Rekem, also took the floor to speak out in favor of the preservation of the animal market. “As the Flemish government, we must respect cultural customs and hobbies where people treat animals with care,” says Dochy.

“It is a pity that the codex makes no distinction in this regard. Evolution is something different than indicating, as an emperor-sacristan, how far something can go and within what period this must happen. Just let folk customs exist. If you as a government intervene in this, it is patronizing. Especially in Flanders, this weighs heavily on people’s minds, because the market provides absolute added value. Various traders meet at the animal market every week. It is important to maintain the social function of the market.

“If the market disappears, we fear that there will be more trading in Wallonia, where the market is still allowed to take place. There is nothing to hide at the markets because there is a veterinarian who checks everything. By organizing the market weekly, impulse purchases are avoided, because people can then make an informed choice. It is crazy if animal markets are banned from January 1 if there are no problems,” Dochy concludes.

Els Sterckx of Vlaams Belang submitted an amendment to the bill earlier this week. “The decree now before us provides for eight more markets, but we want to keep the specialized markets, where a veterinarian is also present,” she explains. “Otherwise we risk people selling animals at home and we have no control over the conditions in which animals are sold. The municipal council of Mol indicates that there has been no consultation with you (Minister Weyts ed.). If the market were to disappear, a reasonable transition period must be sought.”

After the debates, the entire codex was voted on. Nine MPs voted in favour, one against and five abstained. Vlaams Belang’s request to grant a complete exception to the Mole animal market was rejected. We now have to wait for the final decision, which will be voted on during the plenary session of parliament within a few weeks.