The Council of the European Union has approved new legislation introducing, for the first time, EU-wide rules on the welfare, breeding, identification, and traceability of cats and dogs.
The new law, which is now definitive, is designed to make the pet trade more transparent, improve animal welfare, and tackle illegal trafficking and unsafe online sales across the EU.
The law will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union, with transitional periods allowing time for breeders, sellers, pet owners and member states to adapt.
Many of the requirements of the new law are already in place in France, and the EU rules will likely help standardise France’s existing pet welfare laws rather than completely replace them.
One of the new rules is that all imported cats and dogs will need to be identified with a microchip and must be registered in a national database (such as France's I-CAD), within five working days if they are to be sold.
At the same time, if pets are travelling from non-EU countries for 'non-commercial' purposes, the pet should in future be registered in a new 'EU pet traveller database' prior to travel, the rules state. However, non-EU countries will be able to apply to the European Commission for exemption from this rule by proving they have rules on pets similar to the EU's.
Systems will be connected across EU countries, making it easier to trace animals throughout their lives, including pets owned by private individuals.
This means that any dog or cat sold, given away, or moved across borders can be traced more easily by authorities, helping to prevent illegal breeding and trafficking.
Stronger rules for breeders and sellers
The new rules will also introduce stricter requirements for breeders, sellers, shelters, and online platforms.
All online advertisements for cats and dogs will have to include verifiable identification information, which aims to reduce fraud and unregulated sales on the internet.
In addition, operators advertising a dog or cat online with a view to placing it on the EU market must display a warning in the advertisement, in clearly visible and bold characters: “An animal is not a toy. Getting one is a life-changing decision. It is your duty to ensure its health and welfare and not to abandon it.”
At the same time, breeding practices will become more tightly regulated.
Breeding between close relatives, such as parents and offspring or between siblings, will be banned, along with other practices that can harm animal health.
Sellers, breeders and shelters will have four years from the entry into force of the legislation to prepare for these requirements.
Animal welfare protections
The breeding of cats and dogs to produce exaggerated or extreme physical traits that can cause health problems will be outlawed. Such animals will also be excluded from competitions, shows, and exhibitions.
In addition, practices such as ear cropping and tail docking for cosmetic or competitive reasons will be prohibited, along with other harmful interventions. Certain handling practices will also be restricted.
Tying a dog or a cat to an object (tethering), except when necessary for medical treatment, and the use of prong and choke collars without built-in safety mechanisms, will be prohibited.
Dogs will also be required to have regular access to outdoor space or be walked daily once they are older than eight weeks.
The new EU rules also include rules against abandonment of animals.
Imports and travel from outside the EU
The new rules will also apply to animals coming from outside the EU.
Cats and dogs imported for sale will need to meet the same or equivalent welfare and traceability standards as those within the Union.
In practice, this means animals will need to be microchipped before entering the EU and must be registered in national databases shortly after arrival if they are to be sold.
Pets travelling into the EU with their owners for non-commercial purposes (i.e. not for sale) will need to be registered in the new EU pet travellers’ database at least five days before travel when arriving from a non-EU country, except where the animal is already registered in an EU Member State’s database.
There is also an exemption from the registration requirement where a third country or territory has made an application to the European Commission and can demonstrate that it applies pet welfare and health rules equivalent to those in the EU.
The rule on the pet traveller database (which does not yet exist) will only be enforced after 10 years.
Where an animal will be staying in the EU more than six months, a vet should ensure it is entered into a national pet database.
How the EU law compares with France
France already has relatively strict animal welfare and identification requirements.
The country requires all dogs aged four months and more and all cats older than seven months to be microchipped or tattooed for identification. Every pet with a microchip is registered in France’s national animal registry.
Pets brought into the country from abroad also must be microchipped and be up to date on their rabies vaccines. For pet owners within the EU these details can usually be confirmed via an official EU pet passport that they can show upon entry into the country.
Pet owners coming from elsewhere need to provide an animal health certificate signed by an official veterinarian. It was recently clarified by the EU that EU pet passports should only be issued to and used by pet owners who live habitually in the EU country whose vet issued it.
Pets staying in France more than three months are already expected to be registered with France's I-CAD.
Abandoning cats and dogs is already illegal in France, however despite this it is estimated that over 100,000 pets are still abandoned annually in the country.
