The EU has created its first law on the welfare of dogs and cats to be applied across the bloc, targeting illegal trade and harmful practices. A regulation that was long overdue, considering that 44% of EU households have a pet and it's a billion-dollar business.
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00:00The EU has created the first law on cats and dogs welfare to be applied across the block.
00:20The rules will target illegal trade and harmful practice against these pets.
00:25The European Parliament and Council have just defined their positions and are now entering negotiations to fine-tune the law.
00:33The rights of these pets are at the heart of EU Decoded.
00:36There are 127 million cats and 104 million dogs in the EU, with 44% of households owning either pet, according to European Commission data of 2023.
00:48The upcoming legislation sets minimum rules for the entire EU, such as mandatory microchipping and registration of dogs and cats born in or imported into the block.
01:01The European Parliament added that there should be a ban on the sale of dogs and cats in pet shops in an amended proposal approved this month.
01:09Finally, to avoid consanguinity, the crossbreeding between parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, as well as between siblings and half-siblings, will be prohibited.
01:20Registration is mandatory in 24 of the 27 member states, but systems are fragmented.
01:27Let's hear what Europeans think about the new rules.
01:29I think it's a good thing, because whenever it happens, the cat comes out, the cat dies out and goes out.
01:36It's not easy, I think it's it's good.
01:39We should keep our animals free.
01:42Whether you plan a show, you can stand on the door, you see the cat with the cat, you say, or you don't know where the cat comes from or the cat comes from.
01:51You can't see there as many cats, you can't find, you are so you can't find them, maybe you can find them, sometimes you can find them, you can find them.
01:54and then the birds land somewhere on the street, for example in Romania or in Kosovo or wherever it is.
02:24The female of a dog or a cat can have maximum three litre over a two-year period and after that they're going to have at least one year of break.
02:36This is because frequent pregnancies actually lead to malnutrition or also weakening the immune system of the female dog and cat.
02:48So is this addressing the so-called puppy mills?
02:52Indeed, indeed it's one of the ways to curb this phenomenon of puppy mills. At the moment it's actually both backed by the Council and the Parliament.
03:02There are also new rules and recommendations for pet owners in terms of the conditions that should be provided for the animals. What does the law impose now?
03:13There are also some new standards when it comes to, for instance, species nutrition depending on the species of the animal, walk in the day, but also for instance confinement.
03:29This is approved just for transport or during hospitalization.
03:36So the three European institutions will now negotiate the final texts of this law. Are there still any points of friction? What else could change?
03:46The main point of friction is due to the fact that the European Parliament position is more ambitious than the Commission's proposal, but also than the Council's position.
03:56So, for instance, they're trying to ban inbreeding or breeding for extreme physical traits, but also euthanasia for healthy dogs in shelter.
04:09Of course, we can see some sort of resistance from the Council with the traditional arguments of the Council.
04:17So basically, this will add more red tape and more bargains on businesses in Europe.
04:25The EU dog and cat trade is worth 1.3 billion euros annually and 60% of owners purchased them online.
04:33Online trade has led to opacity regarding the origin of the animals, their health and whether they are vaccinated.
04:40Regarding illegal trafficking, the main countries of origin are Romania and Hungary, both EU members, and the third countries, Russia, Belarus, Serbia and Turkey, according to a study by the European Commission.
04:54Our guest is Tilly Metz, a Luxembourgese politician from the Green Group here at the European Parliament and shout the rapporteur for this regulation.
05:03The new rules are expected to apply to about 40,000 commercial dog and cat breeders across the EU and many of them sell their animals online.
05:15Do you believe that the future online platform will be enough to ensure traceability or should the European member states also invest more in inspections and even punitive measures?
05:28I think it's very important that you can certify, if you are a breeder, that your animal is not only micro-ship but really also register.
05:39And it's really the aim and the responsibility now from the Commission side to put a system that will work also in every member state.
05:49So we have also then the guarantee of interoperability to really have traceability of the animal throughout Europe.
05:57Illegal pet traders operate in mafia-like structures, said your colleague Peter Lees two years ago when the Commission proposed this regulation.
06:07Will the new rules actually curb this, particularly with uncooperative countries such as Russia and Belarus, which are some of the main suppliers?
06:17That's why we want also that the animal is registered as soon as possible when it comes into the European Union.
06:27So what we have been advocating is really that the animal is registered already at the border.
06:34But now it is really to look also what is possible to implement.
06:40But the rule should be that the animal is also registered in the lapse of time when it comes into the European Union.
06:50So finally, although dogs and cats are about 90% of European pets, could this law be extended to other companion animals?
07:02Could you explain a little bit the positive list that is advocated by the European Parliament, which species could be included?
07:09You know that some people like to have snakes or even animals, wild animals that are protected or little monkeys or whatever.
07:17So if we have a positive list, that would mean all the animals that are not on this positive list, you are not allowed to have them as companion animals.
07:26Electronic tracking may also help to combat pet abandonment.
07:31There are an estimated 100 million dogs and cats on streets and in shelters across Europe, according to the Socialist and Democratic Group in the European Parliament.
07:44We won't know whether this situation will change until the European Commission presents the first evaluation report in five years.
07:52But first, we need the regulation to be approved.
