Overview

• Saxony's draft budget for 2025/2026 proposes cutting annual funding for animal shelters from €1.32 million to €660,000, threatening essential services like neutering and stray animal care.
• Animal shelters across the state warn of severe consequences, including increased animal suffering, halted infrastructure projects, and heightened reliance on private donations.
• Opposition parties, including the Left and Greens, have tabled amendments to increase funding, with the AfD also opposing the cuts in an unusual alignment of political factions.
• The funding cuts also target the Tierschutzbeauftragte, whose budget would drop from €85,000 in 2024 to €10,000 in 2025 and be eliminated entirely by 2026, sparking further criticism.
• Shelters and activists have mobilized public support, gathering over 7,000 signatures on a petition and urging lawmakers to reconsider ahead of the June budget vote.