Palma town hall bylaw governing horse carriages, as has previously been suggested, will prevent horses working when there are heatwaves. Technical personnel are working on the application of this measure in order to determine when horses should be returned to stables, they should stay in them or should be able to continue working once the temperature drops to a certain level.
The bylaw will also cover the hours that horses work, which include the time to and from stables, and new regulations for inspection. Penalties will be introduced that go beyond just fines, though it is pointed out that inspections have increased this year and that report complaints have risen by more than 250% over the past year. These inspections have been made without prior warning or at the specific request of animal-rights groups.
Carriages will not be prohibited because it would cost the town hall too much compensation, but new licences will not be issued. This will promote the gradual replacement of carriages by electric vehicles.
Public consultation of the proposed new measures will last until 6 November. The public will be able to give their opinions via the website Tu Fas Palma.
Meanwhile, the barely disguised political fight involving AnimaNaturalis, the spokesperson for which is Guillermo Amengual, a former member of Més and now with the Esquerra Unida, and Palma town hall over horse carriages continues. The animal-rights organisation has gathered 5,000 signatures for its petition #Stop Galeras and will tomorrow start a campaign for the replacement of horse carriages by electric vehicles. The councillor for animal welfare, Neus Truyol, is a member of Més.