Overview

• The Senate’s definitive vote on May 29 completes parliamentary approval after the Chamber of Deputies cleared the bill in November 2024.
• Once published in the Official Gazette the law will enter into force, marking a shift in Italy’s animal welfare regime.
• Killing or severely mistreating an animal can now carry up to four years in prison and fines as high as €60,000, with enhanced penalties if minors are involved or abuses are shared online.
• The reform reclassifies animals from objects of human sympathy to sentient beings with direct legal protections under the penal code.
• Animal welfare organisations gain the right to seek custody of abused animals during legal proceedings, the law bans chaining dogs and outlaws the commercial trade in cat fur.