Six months since we marched:

What has changed, and what has not.

August 2026 | An update for our community

Six months on from the end of the hunting season. Some things have changed. Others have not. Here is where things stand.

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN MADRID

Two Ministries, Two Drafts: a Battle Over Which Dogs Belong Where

Two separate government ministries are now drafting their own Royal Decrees to fill in the regulatory gaps, and they are pulling in opposite directions.

The Ministry of Agriculture's Decree (MAPA)

MAPA wants to regulate hunting kennels under a framework focused on animal health and biosecurity, an approach designed around the standards applied to farming operations, not companion animals.

The key problems: kennels below a certain size would fall outside the decree's main registration and authorisation requirements. There is no real traceability system. Dogs must be linked to their owner's hunting licence, but there is no requirement to report deaths, losses, or transfers. A traceability system that does not track anything is, in practice, no system at all.

The Ministry of Social Rights' Decree

This ministry is drafting a separate decree covering companion animal facilities, including shelters, breeders and rescue centres, with significantly higher welfare standards. In February 2026, its Director General for Animal Rights publicly committed to including hunting and working dogs in this text.

That is a genuine political promise on record. The decree has since entered the EU's TRIS notification procedure, a mandatory step before adoption, and the process is ongoing.

The hunting industry, meanwhile, is lobbying hard to weaken MAPA's already-weak draft even further, pushing to raise the threshold for what counts as a kennel, remove daily health check obligations, and reduce training requirements for kennel operators. They are at the table, well organised, and being listened to.

As of August 2026, neither decree has been finalised. But the direction of travel at MAPA is clear, and it is not moving towards stronger protection.

New and concerning: 1 July 2026

According to the hunting federations' published account, the sporting federations with animals, including the Royal Spanish Hunting Federation and the Spanish Galgo Federation, held a formal working meeting with MAPA officials on 1 July 2026. They declared their support for MAPA's decree and their opposition to the Social Rights Ministry's parallel regulation, accusing it of invading MAPA's competences.

The federations reported that MAPA confirmed it will continue processing its own decree and signalled that a significant part of the hunting sector's demands are "coherent with the purpose of the draft” and will be considered for the next version.

In plain terms: MAPA and the hunting lobby have formally aligned. The next draft of MAPA's decree is likely to reflect their demands.

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN BRUSSELS

The EU Regulation is Now Formally Adopted. But the Timeline is Very Long.

On 28 April 2026, the European Parliament voted by 558 votes to 35 to adopt the first ever EU-wide regulation on the welfare, identification, and traceability of dogs and cats. On 22 May 2026, the Council formally adopted it too. The regulation has now been formally adopted by both institutions and is awaiting publication in the Official Journal of the EU, expected later in 2026.

What does it require? All dogs and cats must be microchipped and registered in a national database. Dogs must have daily access to outdoor space or be walked daily. Ear cropping, tail docking, and claw removal are banned except for medical reasons. And crucially, working and hunting dogs are explicitly included. There are no carve-outs.

The regulation will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal. The problem is what comes after.

Most of the regulation's provisions will not start applying until two years after entry into force, and some not for a decade or more. The transition periods vary depending on the measure and who it applies to.

Those are very long transition periods. Spain has years, potentially until the mid-2030s, to drag its feet before EU law truly compels reform on the ground. The risk is that the Spanish government uses this window to cement its current approach before the EU forces a reckoning. The next few months, while the Royal Decrees are being finalised, may matter more for hunting dogs than anything Brussels enforces in the near term.

OUR HONEST ASSESSMENT

Six Months On: What Has Actually Changed?

We want to be honest with you. The same government that excluded hunting dogs from Law 7/2023 is the one writing these new rules. The same political pressures are still there. The hunting lobby is still at the table, and as of this week, more firmly than ever.

Change will not come easily. But it will not come at all without pressure. And that pressure is building.

Over 17,000 emails were sent to the Ministry of Agriculture during the consultation period. The Ministry of Social Rights received 2,204 formal submissions, with 98% demanding equal protection for hunting dogs. These are not small numbers. They cannot be dismissed.

On 20th March, we stood outside the Spanish Consulate in London, aligning with PACMA and fellow organisations in Madrid and other European cities, and formally handed over a letter calling for change. It set out clearly why excluding hunting dogs is not only unjust, but legally flawed.

Then on 11th April, Mismos Perros Mismos Derechos brought hundreds of people onto the streets of Madrid. We were proud to support that demonstration. The message was simple: this will not be ignored.

What has changed in six months? The EU regulation has been formally adopted. The Social Rights decree is moving through the TRIS process. Public pressure has been sustained. What has not changed: the hunting lobby's grip on MAPA, and the fundamental gap in protection for hunting dogs on Spanish soil.

We will keep watching and keep pushing.

TAKE ACTION

We Are Their Voice. Here's How You Can Help.

Keep talking about this.  The consultation phase has closed, but the political process is not over. Share this update. Talk to people who don't yet know what is happening. Every voice adds to the pressure on those making the decisions.

Help the dogs who need it now.  While the politics plays out, dogs in Spanish hunting kennels need practical help today. Adoption, fostering, and fundraising make a direct difference to individual lives.

Stay with us. The next few months are critical. We will keep you updated as the decrees move forward and as the EU regulation progresses. This is not over.

Photos credit: Jeff Moore