Will new animal welfare law curb illegal trade?

Published connected 01/07/2025 - 18:00 GMT+2•Updated 18:01

The upcoming authorities sets minimum rules for nan full EU, specified arsenic mandatory microchipping and registration of dogs and cats calved successful aliases imported into nan bloc.

Pet registration is already mandatory successful 24 of nan 27 EU Member States, but nan systems are fragmented. A early communal online information guidelines should tackle nan problem said Tilly Metz, an MEP from nan Green group and protector rapporteur for the regulation.

"It is now nan work of nan European Commission to instrumentality a strategy that useful successful each personnel states, truthful that we tin guarantee interoperability and existent traceability of nan animal passim Europe," Metz told Euronews.

The EU canine and feline waste and acquisition is worthy 1.3 cardinal euros annually. Around 60% of owners acquisition them online, which has led to opacity regarding nan root of nan animals, their wellness and whether they are vaccinated.

According to a study by nan European Commission, nan main countries of origin for the forbidden animal waste and acquisition are Romania and Hungary, some EU members, and nan 3rd countries Russia, Belarus, Serbia and Turkey.

"That's why we besides want nan animal to beryllium registered arsenic quickly arsenic imaginable erstwhile it enters nan European Union and we person been advocating that this should hap astatine nan border," nan MEP added.

End 'animal mills'

The European Parliament besides defends a prohibition connected nan waste of dogs and cats successful pet shops successful an amended connection to nan rule approved this month.

Inappropriate practices successful nan breeding of these pets are besides being addressed, by imposing limits connected nan number of litters a female tin have.

"The maximum is 3 litters successful a two-year period, followed by a one-year break. This is because predominant pregnancies lead to malnutrition aliases weakening of nan immune system," said Gerardo Fortuna, a Euronews newsman who has been covering nan caller law.

"It is 1 of nan ways to curb nan arena of puppy mills, that has some support of nan Council and Parliament," he added.

To debar consanguinity, nan crossbreeding betwixt parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, arsenic good arsenic betwixt siblings and half-siblings will beryllium prohibited.

Although cats and dogs dress up 90% of Europeans' pets, nan rule could beryllium soon capable extended to different companion animals, pinch nan permitted type to beryllium defined successful a alleged "Positive List", an thought projected by nan European Parliament.

Watch nan video here!

Journalist: Isabel Marques da Silva

Content production: Pilar Montero López

Video production: Zacharia Vigneron

Graphism: Loredana Dumitru

Editorial coordination: Ana Lázaro Bosch and Jeremy Fleming-Jones