Animal welfare on a farm with guests in Republika Srpska: rules and inspection

Guests who feed a goat, pet a lamb or ride a horse do not change the rules on keeping animals. The same laws apply as on any farm, and they bind everyone responsible for the animal. The laws have no separate rule for animals that guests may touch and none for riding offered to guests, so the general provisions below apply. For exhibitions and shows with animals, the Law on Veterinary Medicine (Art. 82(3)) provides for a separate rulebook issued by the minister, so ask the veterinary station or the Ministry about it.

In short

• The keeper must feed and water the animal, care for it, provide health care, enough space if it is tied or shut in, and in a closed building enough light, warmth, ventilation and hygiene (RS Law on Protection and Welfare of Animals, Art. 5).
• It is forbidden to kill an animal without reason or cause it pain and suffering, to force it to work beyond its strength, to shoe hoofed animals painfully, or to use sick or injured animals, or animals with a visible defect, in harness or under saddle (Art. 4 and 6).
• The veterinary inspection supervises compliance. The inspector may enter premises where animals are kept and seize an animal temporarily or permanently (Art. 41 and 42).
• An individual is fined 100 to 400 KM for breaching the welfare rules. Under the Law on Veterinary Medicine the fine for an individual is 500 to 1,500 KM, for example if a horse or other animal is not marked or registered, or if no records are kept.
• Horses, like cattle, pigs, sheep and goats, must be marked and registered, and the animal gets a passport (Law on Veterinary Medicine in Republika Srpska, Art. 68).

Who it applies to

The keeper of the animal. That is the owner, but also anyone permanently or occasionally in charge of the animal, for example a stable hand or a riding guide (Art. 3(e)). The law covers all animals that can feel pain, including sheep, goats, horses, dogs and poultry. The provisions on protecting animals from visitors and visitors from animals expressly cover zoos, circuses and exhibitions (Art. 26). It still makes sense to follow them on a farm that holds an exhibition or show with animals.

What to do

1. Check your animals every day and keep sick ones apart. The RS Pravilnik o zaštiti životinja za držanje i uslovima koje moraju da ispunjavaju objekti za držanje životinja (Rulebook on protection of farmed animals and conditions for animal housing, Official Gazette of Republika Srpska 93/12) and the state-level Rulebook on farms and animal protection on farms (Official Gazette of BiH 46/10, 12/13, 74/16, 85/17 and 60/21) require this expressly (Art. 21 and 22) for farms of hoofed animals with more than 20 livestock units and for poultry and rabbit farms with more than 10 livestock units. For poultry farms the animal protection conditions apply below that threshold too (Art. 1(2)). The rulebooks do not cover animals at competitions, exhibitions and other events, or pets (Art. 1(3)). A farm covered by the rulebooks keeps records of treatment and deaths for at least three years (Art. 23). On a smaller holding the owner must still look after the health and welfare of the animals with the care of a good keeper and keep records of the animals on the holding (Law on Veterinary Medicine, Art. 41), and a daily check is the simplest way to do that. Ask the veterinary station whether your holding falls under the rulebooks.
2. Show a sick or injured animal to a vet at once (Art. 11). Do not use such a horse for riding or in harness.
3. For riding, use healthy horses that are fit for work, and do not overload them. Forcing an animal to effort beyond its strength is forbidden (Art. 6).
4. Have horses marked by an authorised marker and keep the passport (Law on Veterinary Medicine, Art. 68(1) and (4)). Also keep the register of animals on the holding. Dogs and cats must be marked and entered in the Register of Dogs and Cats, and the owner must hold the registration document and proof of rabies vaccination (Art. 69). Under the welfare law, a dog or cat must be registered within seven days of acquiring ownership (Art. 8). These rules also apply to a dog that guards the flock.
5. If you organise an exhibition, judging, competition or show with animals, you need a decision (rješenje) from the local self-government unit (Law on Veterinary Medicine, Art. 82(1)). The venue is entered as a holding in the system for marking and movement control of animals (Art. 82(2)). Regular guest visits to your farm are not an exhibition. If in doubt, ask the municipal administration.
6. Let the inspector carry out the check and hand over documents without delay (Law on Veterinary Medicine, Art. 110).

Deadlines and amounts

• RS Law on Protection and Welfare of Animals, Art. 44: a legal entity that keeps animals 3,000 to 12,000 KM, the responsible person 300 to 1,200 KM, an individual 100 to 400 KM.
• Law on Veterinary Medicine in Republika Srpska, Art. 120 to 122: for keeping an unmarked or unregistered animal, not keeping the register of animals and records, abusing or tormenting animals, and holding an exhibition or show with animals without a decision, a legal entity 1,000 to 3,000 KM and its responsible person 300 to 900 KM, a sole trader 1,000 to 3,000 KM, an individual 500 to 1,500 KM.
• The state-level BiH Law on Protection and Welfare of Animals (Official Gazette of BiH 25/09 and 9/18) sets a wider range of fines for an animal keeper, 30 to 10,000 KM, depending on the offence. In practice, farms in Republika Srpska are inspected by the RS veterinary inspection, so ask it which range applies.
• Registration of dogs and cats: seven days from acquiring ownership.

Where to go

• A veterinary inspector of the Republička uprava za inspekcijske poslove (Republic Administration for Inspection Affairs) or the municipal veterinary inspection (Law on Veterinary Medicine, Art. 108 and 109). For Trebinje and neighbouring municipalities, ask the municipal administration for the contact.
• The veterinary station or authorised veterinary organisation in your municipality: marking, passports and registration of dogs and cats.
• The Ministarstvo poljoprivrede, šumarstva i vodoprivrede Republike Srpske (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management): ask which rulebook sets the conditions for exhibitions and shows with animals (Law on Veterinary Medicine, Art. 82(3)).

Laws and sources

• Law on Protection and Welfare of Animals (Official Gazette of Republika Srpska 111/08), the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management lists no amendments
• Law on Veterinary Medicine in Republika Srpska (Official Gazette of Republika Srpska 75/17 and 63/24)
• Law on Protection and Welfare of Animals of BiH (Official Gazette of BiH 25/09) and its amendment (Official Gazette of BiH 9/18)
• Rulebook on conditions for farms and animal protection on farms (Official Gazette of BiH 46/10, 12/13, 74/16, 85/17 and 60/21)
• RS Rulebook on protection of farmed animals and conditions for animal housing (Official Gazette of Republika Srpska 93/12)